How to Calculate a Runner's Speed

The speed of a runner can be calculated if you know the distance traveled and the time elapsed. Runner's speeds will generally be higher for shorter distances than for longer distances because of the fatigue that sets in. Almost all international meets make use of the metric system for distances so speed is measured in meters per second. However, you can easily convert this to miles per hour if you wish.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • Stopwatch
  • Calculator
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Measure the distance the runner will cover or use a standard track that measures 400 meters and have the runner run a specified number of laps. For example, if a runner ran four laps, he would have covered 1600 meters. Call this distance D.

    • 2

      Time the runner to determine how long it takes her to cover the distance in step 1 in seconds and call this T. If the time exceeds one minute, multiply the number of minutes by 60 and add the result to the number of seconds in the time. For example, if the time was 5:20, you would multiply 5 by 60 to get 300 and then add 20 to get 320.

    • 3

      Divide D, measured in meters, by T, measured in seconds to calculate the runner's speed. In this example, the runner ran 1600 meters in 320 seconds so you divide 1600 by 320 to find that the runner's speed equals 5 meters per second.

    • 4

      Multiply the result from step 3 by about 2.2369 to convert the speed from meters per second to miles per hour. For this example, you would multiply 5 by 2.2369 to find the runner's speed equals about 11.1845 miles per hour.