How many miles is a 15k?
A 15k is 9.3 miles, or exactly 15,000 metres. It is the odd one out among race distances, rarer than the 10k below it and the half marathon above, and about three hours walked. Here is how long it takes to run, and what it is in steps, minutes and calories.
The numbers
15.0 km · 9.3 miles, in steps
| A child, 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) | about 30,200 steps |
| 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) | about 22,600 steps |
| 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in), the average adult | about 21,300 steps |
| 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) | about 20,100 steps |
| 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) | about 19,100 steps |
| A giraffe, 5.5 m (18 ft) | no idea, sorry |
Step length is about 41% of height. Give or take 10% for how you walk.
How long it takes to walk
| A stroll, 4 km/h | 3 h 45 min |
| A normal walk, 5 km/h | 3 h |
| A brisk walk, 6 km/h | 2 h 30 min |
Walking without stops, on level ground.
Calories, by body weight
| 55 kg (121 lb) | about 526 kcal (699 incl. resting) |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | about 669 kcal (890 incl. resting) |
| 85 kg (187 lb) | about 813 kcal (1,081 incl. resting) |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | about 956 kcal (1,271 incl. resting) |
The walk's own cost at 5 km/h. The second number adds what you would have burned sitting still, which is what some fitness trackers show.
Try your own distance
Steps
about 21,300
19,200 to 23,400 depending on your stride, about 0.70 m a step at this height.
Distance
15.0 km · 9.3 miles
Time on foot
3 h
at 5 km/h, no stops
Calories
Depends on your weight more than anything else. Enter it to see an estimate.
That is 1/4 of the way to Everest Base Camp.
How many steps is a 15k?
About 21,300 steps for an adult of average height, from roughly 22,600 at 1.6 m to 19,100 at 1.9 m, because a walking step is about 41% of your height and a 1.7 m adult covers about 0.70 m a step. Your own count can sit 10% either side of the figure for your height.
How long does it take to run a 15k?
It depends on your pace. These are the finishing times at a steady pace:
| Pace per mile | Pace per km | 15k time |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | 4:21 | 1:05:15 |
| 8:00 | 4:58 | 1:14:34 |
| 9:00 | 5:36 | 1:23:53 |
| 10:00 | 6:13 | 1:33:12 |
| 11:00 | 6:50 | 1:42:32 |
| 12:00 | 7:27 | 1:51:51 |
Running steps are longer than walking steps, so a run covers the distance in fewer steps than the walking figures above.
How many calories does walking a 15k burn?
About 670 kcal for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult at a normal pace, from roughly 525 kcal at 55 kg (121 lb) to 955 kcal at 100 kg (220 lb). Body weight decides most of it. That is the walk’s own cost above sitting still. Some fitness trackers report the total including what you would have burned anyway, which comes out about a third higher. The figures come from a model of walking energy cost built on height, weight and speed, tested within a few percent of measured values across body sizes.
What a 15k is
Fifteen kilometres, exactly 15,000 metres, which is 9.321 miles. World Athletics lists it among the standard road distances, but it is the least common of them: most calendars jump from 10k to the half marathon, and a 15k is usually a regional race or a training milestone on the way to one. Walked, it is three hours at a normal pace, which puts it in the territory of a long morning rather than an outing.
Walk the distance first
A race is a day. The way to be ready for it, and the way to enjoy the same distance without a start line, is to walk it in pieces on the days you already have. A 15k is 1/4 of the way to Everest Base Camp, and reTrek is built for exactly that: pick a route, Everest Base Camp is free, and your everyday steps carry you along it with a short film waiting at each milestone. Something to look forward to. Progress you can see.
Walk it with a friend and pool your steps, or race them there, and find out which of you skips fewer evenings.
Other race distances
Sources: Road running disciplines and standard distances, World Athletics · Energy expenditure during level human walking, Ludlow and Weyand, Journal of Applied Physiology, 2016