Run-Walk Pace Calculator

How it works

The run-walk-run method, popularised by Olympian Jeff Galloway, alternates short timed running and walking intervals — run 4 minutes, walk 1 minute, and repeat. Your overall pace is neither your run pace nor your walk pace but a blend of the two, weighted by how much time you spend in each.

Over one run-walk cycle you cover a run distance of run interval ÷ run pace and a walk distance of walk interval ÷ walk pace. The average pace is then:

average pace = (run interval + walk interval) ÷ (run distance + walk distance)

Because pace is time ÷ distance, this is the exact blended pace — the more time you spend running, the closer the average moves to your run pace. One mile is 1,609.344 metres, the constant behind the per-mile and per-kilometre figures.

Worked example

Take the default pattern: run 4 minutes at a 9:00-per-mile pace, then walk 1 minute at 15:00 per mile. In each 5-minute cycle you run 0.444 miles and walk 0.067 miles — 0.511 miles in 5 minutes — so your average pace is 5 ÷ 0.511 = 9:47 per mile (6:05 per km, 6.13 mph). Over a 5K (3.1 miles) that pace finishes in about 30:20; over 5 miles it is 48:55.

Frequently asked questions

What is the run-walk-run method?

It is a way of covering a distance by alternating short timed intervals of running and walking from the start, rather than running until you tire. Jeff Galloway popularised it in the 1970s as a way to reduce fatigue and injury risk while still finishing races.

How do I calculate my run-walk pace?

Divide the total time of one run-walk cycle by the total distance it covers. Running a mile-pace of 9:00 for 4 minutes and walking 15:00 for 1 minute covers 0.511 miles in 5 minutes, which is a 9:47-per-mile average. This calculator does that for any paces and intervals.

What run-walk ratio should I use?

There is no single answer — faster runners use longer run segments (for example 4:1 or 5:1 minutes), while beginners or those managing fatigue use shorter ones (1:1, or even 30 seconds each). A shorter run interval or slower run pace makes the blended pace slower, which you can test by changing the inputs above.

Does taking walk breaks make you slower overall?

Often less than people expect, and sometimes not at all — walk breaks can reduce late-race slowdown, so a steady run-walk can finish close to, or even ahead of, running until you fade. The average pace here shows the arithmetic cost of the walk breaks; the race-day benefit depends on the runner.

How do I hit a target average pace?

Fix your walk pace and interval, then adjust your run pace or lengthen the run interval until the average matches your goal. Because the blend is weighted by time, a small change to the run pace moves the average more than the same change to the walk pace.

Is my run-walk pace the same as my running pace?

No — it is always slower than your run pace and faster than your walk pace, because it averages the two. The result sits closer to whichever one you spend more time doing.

Does run-walk work for a marathon?

Yes — many runners use timed run-walk intervals for distances from a 5K to a marathon, and this calculator's finish-time output projects any distance at your blended pace. Enter the race distance to see the projected time.