acalculator

What is my running cadence?

Count your steps for 15 to 60 seconds, or type your cadence, then add your pace. The running cadence calculator gives steps per minute and the step length that goes with your pace, as a pace calculator would give your speed.

Your numbers

I know
Pace per
Cadence
172

Your cadence is 172 steps per minute, with a step length of 104 cm.

Step length (cm)
104
Step length (in)
40.9
Stride length (cm)
207.9
Stride length (in)
81.9
Steps per mile or km
1,548
Speed (mph)
6.67
Speed (km/h)
10.73

Cadence: 172. Your cadence is 172 steps per minute, with a step length of 104 cm.

How to calculate

Computes running cadence in steps per minute from a step count, and the step length, stride length and steps per mile or kilometer from cadence and pace.

Example with the default inputs (I know Steps counted, Steps counted 43, Counting time (seconds) 15, Pace per mile, Pace minutes 9, Pace seconds 0): Your cadence is 172 steps per minute, with a step length of 104 cm.

Method: cadence = steps × 60 ÷ seconds; step length = (meters per mile or km) × 60 ÷ (cadence × pace in seconds); stride = 2 × step.

  • A step is one foot landing; a stride is two steps (the same foot landing again).
  • Step length is the average over the pace you type, on level ground.
  • 1 mile = 1,609.344 m and 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly (NIST).

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. I know Steps counted, Steps counted 43, Counting time (seconds) 15, Pace per mile, Pace minutes 9, Pace seconds 0 gives Cadence 172, Step length (cm) 104, Step length (in) 40.9, Stride length (cm) 207.9, Steps per mile or km 1,548, Speed (mph) 6.67, Speed (km/h) 10.73.Source: NIST Special Publication 811 (2008), Appendix B.8: 1 mi = 1,609.344 m and 1 in = 0.0254 m exactly. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
  2. I know Cadence, Cadence (steps per minute) 180, Pace per km, Pace minutes 5, Pace seconds 0 gives Cadence 180, Step length (cm) 111.1, Stride length (cm) 222.2, Steps per mile or km 900, Speed (km/h) 12.
  3. I know Steps counted, Steps counted 81, Counting time (seconds) 30, Pace per km, Pace minutes 6, Pace seconds 30.5 gives Cadence 162, Steps per mile or km 1,054, Step length (cm) 94.8.

How it works

Cadence is steps per minute, counting both feet. From a count:

cadence = steps counted × 60 ÷ seconds counted

Or type the cadence directly (I know: Cadence).

Pace is typed as whole minutes (0 to 99) and seconds (0 to under 60, decimals allowed) per mile or per kilometer. Pace in seconds P = minutes × 60 + seconds. A pace under 1 second has no answer: "Enter a pace of at least 0:01 (1 second)."

With D = 1,609.344 m for a mile pace or 1,000 m for a kilometer pace:

  • step length (m) = D × 60 ÷ (cadence × P)
  • stride length = 2 × step length
  • steps per mile or km = cadence × P ÷ 60
  • speed (mph) = D × 3,600 ÷ (P × 1,609.344); speed (km/h) = D × 3.6 ÷ P
  • inches = meters ÷ 0.0254

Every input is read as an exact decimal and every step above is exact; only the shown value is rounded.

Inputs and limits

  • Steps counted: a whole number from 1 to 100,000. Counting time: whole seconds from 1 to 86,400.
  • Cadence: from 1 to 400 steps per minute.

What the calculator shows

Rounded half up: cadence to 1 decimal; step and stride length in cm and in to 1 decimal; steps per mile or km to a whole number; speeds to 2 decimals.

Worked examples by hand

43 steps in 15 seconds at 9:00 per mile: cadence = 43 × 60 ÷ 15 = 172 steps per minute. P = 540 s. Step length = 1,609.344 × 60 ÷ (172 × 540) = 96,560.64 ÷ 92,880 = 1.03963 m = 104.0 cm (40.9 in); stride 207.9 cm. Steps per mile = 172 × 540 ÷ 60 = 1,548. Speed = 1,609.344 × 3,600 ÷ (540 × 1,609.344) = 6.67 mph, 1,609.344 × 3.6 ÷ 540 = 10.73 km/h.

180 steps per minute at 5:00 per km: P = 300 s. Step length = 1,000 × 60 ÷ (180 × 300) = 1.1111 m = 111.1 cm; stride 222.2 cm; 900 steps per km; 12 km/h.

81 steps in 30 seconds at 6:30.5 per km: cadence = 81 × 60 ÷ 30 = 162. P = 390.5 s. Steps per km = 162 × 390.5 ÷ 60 = 1,054.35, shown as 1,054. Step length = 60,000 ÷ (162 × 390.5) = 0.94845 m = 94.8 cm.

Other questions people ask

How do I measure my running cadence?

Run at your usual pace and count every time either foot lands for 15, 30 or 60 seconds. Multiply by 60 and divide by the seconds counted: 43 steps in 15 seconds is 43 × 60 ÷ 15 = 172 steps per minute. Counting one foot and doubling it works too.

What is the difference between step length and stride length?

A step is from one foot landing to the other foot landing. A stride is two steps, from one foot landing to the same foot landing again. Some watches call the step length a stride, so check which one your device shows.

How is step length worked out from cadence and pace?

Speed divided by cadence. At a 9:00 mile you cover 1,609.344 m in 9 minutes, or 178.8 m a minute. At 172 steps per minute that is 178.8 ÷ 172 = 1.04 m per step.

Is 180 steps per minute the right cadence?

The number is often quoted, but cadence changes with speed, height and terrain, so no single number fits every runner. Studies such as Heiderscheit and others (2011) looked at raising a runner’s own cadence by 5 to 10%, which reduced the load on the knee and hip.

How many steps are in a mile when running?

Cadence times the minutes per mile. At 172 steps per minute and a 9:00 mile pace, that is 172 × 9 = 1,548 steps per mile.