The short answer: a 5K (5 kilometres, 3.1 miles) is roughly 6,300 to 8,000 steps depending on your height, with about 7,000 for someone near 173 cm (5'8"). At 3 mph it takes about an hour, and it uses roughly 250 calories for a 70 kg person, about 180 of them above what you'd burn sitting.
Steps in a 5K by height
Pedometers and apps estimate step length as roughly 0.413 times height for women and 0.415 for men, and the table uses 0.414 (the same convention as steps in a mile). It is a convention, not a measurement, and real ratios in one 2025 study of 313 adults ranged from about 0.41 to 0.47. If you know your own steps per kilometre, multiply by 5.
| Height | Steps in a 5K (estimate) |
|---|---|
| 5'0" (152 cm) | about 7,950 |
| 5'4" (163 cm) | about 7,410 |
| 5'8" (173 cm) | about 6,980 |
| 6'0" (183 cm) | about 6,600 |
| 6'4" (193 cm) | about 6,260 |
How long does a 5K walk take?
Time is just distance divided by speed. The calorie estimates use the Compendium of Physical Activities ratings (2.5 mph is 3.0 METs, 3 mph is 3.5, 3.5 mph is 4.3 and 4 mph is 5.0), with calories equal to the rating times body weight in kilograms times hours. They are estimates, and they match the method on calories burned walking.
| Walking speed | Time for 5K | Calories at 70 kg (extra above resting) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h) | 75 min | 260 (170) |
| 3.0 mph (4.8 km/h) | 62 min | 250 (180) |
| 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) | 53 min | 270 (210) |
| 4.0 mph (6.4 km/h) | 47 min | 270 (220) |
The earlier page's "normal pace of about 5 km/h takes 60 minutes" is the same arithmetic, and its 50 to 60 minute estimate for most people is reasonable. For what typical speeds are, see the walking pace chart.
Calories by body weight
| Body weight | Calories for a 5K at 3 mph (extra above resting) |
|---|---|
| 55 kg (121 lb) | 200 (140) |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 250 (180) |
| 85 kg (187 lb) | 310 (220) |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 360 (260) |
The earlier page said walking briskly instead of at a normal pace raises the calories by "20 to 30 percent." Over a fixed distance it doesn't: by the Compendium ratings, 3.5 mph rather than 3 mph raises the total for a 5K by only about 5% and the extra above resting by about 13%, because you finish sooner. Heavier people use more energy over the same distance, but weight loss from walking is usually modest; see how many steps to lose weight.
Walking a 5K vs running one
Running covers the distance in much less time. The earlier page said walking puts 1 to 1.5 times body weight through the knees against 2.5 to 3 times for running. We couldn't source those numbers, so we've removed them. The general evidence on walking and joints is in walking and joint health. Many charity 5K events welcome walkers, but check each event's rules and time limits.
Where a 5K fits into your daily goal
A 5K is about 6,300 to 8,000 steps, which is about 80 to 100% of an 8,000-step day and 60 to 80% of 10,000 (our arithmetic; the earlier page said 70 to 90%). Since about 7,000 steps is where the benefit mostly levels off in the research (how many steps you need), a daily 5K walk covers it for many people.
Building up to a 5K walk
The earlier page gave a six-week plan: 2 to 3 km walks three or four times a week for two weeks, 3.5 to 4 km for the next two, then a full 5K. That is our suggestion, not a tested program, and we don't know of trials comparing plans for walkers. In a trial of novice runners, a graded program based on the common "10% rule" didn't reduce injuries compared with a standard program (Buist and colleagues, 2008), so there's no strong evidence for any particular rate of increase. Building up gradually is still a sensible approach, and our beginner's guide and 30-day challenge are two ways to do it. If you haven't exercised for a while or have a health condition, check with your doctor first.
Sources
- Pedometer step-length convention (0.413 x height for women, 0.415 x height for men), as described by step-length calculators; includes a 2025 Sensors study of 313 adults with step-length-to-height ratios of about 0.41 to 0.47. getfitcraft.com
- Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2011;43(8):1575-1581. pacompendium.com
- Buist I, Bredeweg SW, van Mechelen W, Lemmink KA, Pepping GJ, Diercks RL. No effect of a graded training program on the number of running-related injuries in novice runners. American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2008. PubMed
Correction note: an earlier version of this page said brisk walking raises a 5K's calories by 20 to 30 percent, said walking puts 1 to 1.5 times body weight through the knees against 2.5 to 3 times for running, said a 5K covers 70 to 90 percent of an 8,000 to 10,000 step day, and gave a training plan as if it were established. We corrected the percentage claims, removed the joint-load figures we could not source, and labelled the plan as a suggestion. The height table matched the pedometer convention and is kept as an estimate. Calories use published MET ratings and are approximate; the step-length convention is taken from calculator pages, not primary papers. This article is for informational purposes and does not replace medical advice. This is general information, not medical advice.