The most accurate way to determine the calories burned in any exercise is to multiply your individual resting metabolic rate by the MET, or metabolic equivalent task, for the exercise in question. METs for various activities can be found in tables online, and your resting metabolic rate can be calculated with a simple equation, so with the help of a basic calculator, anyone can figure out the number of calories burned when running a 10-kilometer race.
Calculate Calories Burned in a 10K Run
Step 1
Find your body weight in kilograms. If you have your weight in pounds rather than kilograms, divide it by 2.2. For example, if you weigh 220 pounds, your weight in kilograms is 220 / 2.2 = 100 kilograms.
Step 2
Calculate your fat-free mass (FFM) in kilograms. Take your weight in kilograms and multiply it by [1 - your body fat percentage]. For example, if you weigh 100 kilograms, and your body fat percentage is 12 percent, then your fat-free mass = 100 kg x (1 - 0.12) = 88 kilograms.
Step 3
Estimate your daily resting metabolic rate. There are a number of equations available which give good estimates of resting metabolic rate (RMR). A simple, straightforward equation is the John J. Cunningham RMR equation, which reads RMR = 370 + 21.6 x FFM. Continuing the example above, this yields RMR = 370 + 21.6 x 88 = 2,271 calories. This is the number of calories burned in 24 hours by a person with 88 kg of fat-free mass, if she remains completely at rest, not even eating or drinking, the whole time.
Step 4
Determine your hourly resting metabolic rate by dividing your daily RMR by 24. In the above case, that would be: hourly RMR = 2,271 / 24 = 94.6 calories per hour.
Step 5
Calculate your race time in hours by dividing your race time in minutes by 60. For example, if you completed the race in 42 minutes, your race time in hours = 42 / 60 = 0.7.
Step 6
Figure out your average minutes per mile for the 10K. Take your race time in minutes and divide by 6.2. For example, if you ran the race in 42 minutes, your average minutes per mile = 42 / 6.2 = 7.
Step 7
Find the metabolic equivalent task [MET] for running at that speed you calculated in Step 6. Look up running at your race speed in a table of metabolic equivalent tasks, or select it from this list: 12-minute miles, MET = 8; 11.5-minute miles, MET = 9; 10-minute miles, MET = 10; 9-minute miles, MET = 11; 8.5-minute miles, MET = 11.5; 8-minute miles, MET = 12.5; 7.5-minute miles, MET = 13.5; 7-minute miles, MET = 14; 6.5-minute miles, MET = 15; 6-minute miles, MET = 16; 5.5-minute miles, MET = 18.
Step 8
Determine the total number of calories you burned running the 10K. Take the product of your hourly RMR, the MET for your speed, and your race time in hours. Using the values from our example so far, that would be 94.6 calories per hour x 14 MET x 0.7 hours = 927 calories burned running the 10K.
Tips and Warnings
- You can find RMR calculators online that will do the first four steps for you. There is list of METs for over 600 common activities in the "The Compendium of Physical Activities", located at the University of South Carolina School of Public Health website.
- Realize that the equations and tables referenced above are all based on statistical averages and confidence intervals, and are not universally applicable. If you suffer from a chronic illness or metabolic disease, or you are an unusually fit person or an elite athlete, they probably won't give you accurate results. For the majority, however, this process will give a very good estimate of the actual calories burned in running a 10K race.
Things You'll Need
- Body weight in pounds or kilograms
- Body fat percentage
- Finish time for the 10K
- Table of metabolic equivalent tasks
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