Calories Burned Running a Half Marathon

Last updated: 31 Mar 2024

The calories burned running a half marathon can range from 1,310 to 2,358 depending on your weight and pace.

The average person burns about 100 to 180 calories per mile. The calories burned running a half marathon can therefore range from 1,310 to about 2,358 (or more).

Summary

Average calories burned running a half marathon
Calories per mile split
Factors influencing calories burned
Afterburn effect of running
What to eat before, during, and after a half marathon
How to stay hydrated
Running calories vs other exercises
Common misconceptions
Physical benefits of running
Mental benefits of running
FAQs

Average calories burned running a half marathon

The average calories burned running a half marathon can depend on several factors. The most common are your weight and running pace.

Generally, you can expect to burn anywhere from 1,310 to 2,358 calories during a half marathon.

For a better idea of how many calories you can burn, we recommend using our calories burned running calculator.

How far is a half marathon?

A half marathon is 13.1 miles or 21.1 kilometers

The overall half marathon pace is 8:24 min per mile (both men and women). Men typically run a half marathon in 2 hours (an average pace of 9:09 min/mile) and women 2 hrs 20 min (an average pace of 10:41 min/mile). For more on this read: Average half marathon time.

Calories per mile split

You can estimate to burn between 100-180 calories per mile depending on your weight.

Calories per mile table

The table below represents the calories per mile split when running a half marathon at an average pace of 8:24 min/mile.

Weight (Ibs)	Mile 1	Mile 2	Mile 3	Mile 4	Mile 5	Mile 6	Mile 7	Mile 8	Mile 9	Mile 10	Mile 11	Mile 12	Mile 13	Finish
120	88	176	264	352	440	528	616	704	792	880	968	1056	1144	1166
130	95	190	285	380	475	570	665	760	855	950	1045	1140	1235	1258
140	103	206	309	412	515	618	721	824	927	1030	1133	1236	1339	1349
150	110	220	330	440	550	660	770	880	990	1100	1210	1320	1430	1454
160	117	234	351	468	585	702	819	936	1053	1170	1287	1404	1521	1545
170	125	250	375	500	625	750	875	1000	1125	1250	1375	1500	1625	1638
180	132	264	396	528	660	792	924	1056	1188	1320	1452	1584	1716	1742
190	139	278	417	556	695	834	973	1112	1251	1390	1529	1668	1807	1821
200	147	294	441	588	735	882	1029	1176	1323	1470	1617	1764	1911	1939
210	154	308	462	616	770	924	1078	1232	1386	1540	1694	1848	2002	2030
220	161	322	483	644	805	966	1127	1288	1449	1610	1771	1932	2093	2122
230	169	338	507	676	845	1014	1183	1352	1521	1690	1859	2028	2197	2214

The most frequently used figure for calories burned running a mile is 100 calories per mile (or 60 calories per km). However, this is usually only typical if you weigh 140lbs.

According to the CDC, the average American female weighs about 170lbs and the average male weighs 200lbs. ^[1]

At a pace of 10:41 min/mile, the average female will burn approximately 130 calories per mile. This is about 1,700 calories burned running a half marathon.

At a pace of 9:09 min/mile, the average male will burn about 150 calories per mile. This is about 2,000 calories burned running a half marathon. If you plan to run a marathon, read Calories Burned Running a Marathon.

Factors influencing calories burned

Your weight and running pace are the main factors that influence calories burned running a marathon.

Impact of weight on calories burned running

The heavier you are, the more calories you’ll burn while running a half marathon. The reason for this is that there is physically more mass to move and your body needs more energy to power your run.

Calories burned running a half marathon according to weight

Impact of pace on calorie expenditure

The faster your pace, the more calories you’ll burn due to the high demand placed on your heart, lungs, and muscles.

In the chart below (for 170lb runner), you can see that at a slower pace, time comes into play with calories burned. The longer you run, the more calories you’ll burn.

The fitter an individual, the more efficient they become at burning calories. ^[2] Those runners who are super fit and can maintain a fast pace will generally burn fewer calories than less fit individuals.

Impact of terrain on calories burned running

Running uphill is more demanding than running a flat course. If the course has frequent hills or is a steady uphill, you’ll naturally burn more calories.

The table below shows a comparison of calories burned per hour on a flat versus a 5% incline (both running at 10 min/mile pace) compared to hilly terrain with an elevate of approximately 100m.

Calories burned running an hour on a flat, incline and hilly terrain

Weight	Running Flat 10 min/mile	Uphill 5% gradient	Hilly Terrain – elevation of 100m
120	531	760	948
130	575	823	1027
140	620	886	1106
150	664	950	1185
160	708	1013	1264
170	752	1076	1344
180	797	1140	1423
190	841	1203	1502
200	885	1266	1581
210	930	1330	1660
220	974	1393	1739
230	1018	1456	1818

Effect of running style - stride and cadence

Shorter strides are generally considered to be more energy efficient, which reduces overall calorie burn.

Longer strides use more of the larger muscles which will burn more calories.

Higher cadence (more steps per minute), is also generally considered to burn fewer calories and can also reduce the impact on your joints and muscles.

Environmental factors - weather and temperature

If it’s hot or humid, your body works hard to keep itself cool. Running against the wind will also burn slightly more calories due to the extra demand.

High altitude requires your body to work harder to absorb oxygen, especially if you haven’t adjusted to the altitude. This will cause your heart to beat faster and you’ll breathe heavier to absorb more oxygen.

Afterburn effect of running

After a long or intense run, your body continues to burn calories to help with recovery – known as the afterburn effect. This results in about 5 – 15% extra calories burned. ^[3]

After a long or intense workout, your body continues to burn calories. This is the afterburn effect.
This can be 5 - 15% extra calories.
The greater the intensity or longer the duration, the more calories will be burned.
Combined with a healthy diet and exercise, the extra calories burned can help with weight loss.

After an intense or long run, your body uses energy to replenish oxygen stores, remove lactate, repair microscopic muscle tears, and refuel energy stores.

To do that it needs extra calories. This is known as the afterburn effect or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption EPOC. ^[3]

Higher intensity and longer duration cause a greater EPOC. This can be between 5 – 15% extra calories burned. So if you’ve burned about 2,000 calories running a half marathon, you can burn between 100 to 200 extra calories.

Don’t count on EPOC for weight loss but if you follow a healthy diet that has a calorie deficit, any additional calories burned are a bonus.

What to eat before, during and after a half marathon

Attempting a half marathon without enough carbohydrates before and during the race can lead to hitting the wall. Refueling after a half marathon will help your body recover.

Aim for frequent small meals and snacks.
Eat slow-releasing complex carbs and a portion of protein 4-6 times in the 24 hours before your run.
Eat fast-release carbs after 60 minutes, then every 45 minutes.
Refuel with fast-release carbs and protein within 15 minutes after finishing.
Don't forget to drink water and electrolytes.

Snacks and meals to eat before running a half marathon

Hitting the wall is a complex phenomenon that has many factors. One of the main causes is that your body runs out of energy in the form of carbs which forces you to slow down so it can turn fat into fuel. ^[4]

You want to avoid hitting the wall at all costs. It will ruin your run. Apart from feeling exhausted, you’ll also experience severe muscle aches and struggle to even walk home.

One of the best ways to prevent this is to make sure you’re getting enough carbs. You should eat a fist-sized portion of complex carbs 4-6 times in the 24 hours before doing an endurance run.^[5]

Also, include a palm-sized portion of protein with every meal and snack 24 hours before the marathon.

For more ideas, read: What to eat before running.

Baked Sweet Potato

Breakfast Smoothie

Scrambled Eggs

Chocolate Milk

Meal and snack ideas

Porridge
Chicken and rice or couscous
Banana and peanut butter sandwich
Scrambled eggs and pitta bread
Baked sweet potato
Berry, oats, and peanut butter smoothie
Steak wrap
Rice pudding
Chocolate milk
Vegetable soup

As well as eating before a marathon, you must take some food to fuel you during the run.

Snacks to eat during a half marathon

After 60 minutes of running, you’ll need to take in some carbs to ensure that you don’t hit the wall. Eat something every 45 minutes after that. The image below shows a plan on when to eat during a half marathon or running for 2 hours.

Choose want-to-eat snacks that are easily and quickly absorbed into the bloodstream (high GI).

Be aware of options that may be choking hazards as you’ll be eating while running.

Eating or drinking while running might feel strange at first so it’s vital to practice it. Your gut needs to be trained to get used to digesting while running.

Energy Drink

4 to 5 Jelly Babies

Peanut M & M's

Dates

Choose fast-release carbs that you enjoy eating such as:

Energy gels in your favorite flavors
Energy bars
Jelly Babies
Peanut M & M’s
Dates
Raisins
Sports drinks

If you enjoy more natural options, raisins are as effective as sports gels. ^[6]

Don’t forget to practice the best way to carry your snacks. While your favorite snack might look tempting initially, once it’s spent an hour in a sweaty shorts pocket, you might change your mind.

It’s also good to have a quick fast-release recovery drink available at the end of your run. For more on this read: What to eat while running.

What to eat after a half marathon

For about 24 hours after exercise, the body is primed to absorb nutrients optimally to help with recovery. This is known as the post-exercise recovery window. ^[7]

Both carbs and proteins are essential for post-run recovery. ^[5]Carbs refill glycogen stores and proteins help repair and rebuild muscles.

Aim to eat 3g of carbs per kilogram of body weight for the whole day. For protein, as a general guideline, include a minimum of 20g of protein in your first post-run meal.

For more on what to eat after a marathon, read What to eat after running.

Ready-made recovery drinks are easy to prepare and are formulated with carbs, proteins, and electrolytes. They are an ideal solution if you’re wondering what to eat after running. The Recovery Drink below from Skratch Labs also has non-vegan options and includes electrolytes.

Post-Run Recovery Drink (vegan)

$36.95

View on Amazon

10/06/2024 02:38 pm GMT

You can also easily make your own if you prefer to stick to homemade options.

Tropical Smoothie

Hot Chocolate

Mocha Shake

Berry Banana Shake

Recipes for recovery drinks

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

200ml / 7 fl oz / 3⁄4 cup tropical fruit juice
200g / 7 fl oz / 3⁄4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
Handful of ice

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until mixed.

RECOVERY HOT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients

300ml / 10 1/2 fl oz / 1 ¼ cup skimmed milk
25g / 10oz skimmed milk powder
20g / 3⁄4 oz dark/butter chocolate (70%+ cocoa) broken into small bits

Method

Warm the milk and milk powder in a saucepan on low heat. Stir until the powder has dissolved.
Add the chocolate pieces and stir until melted.

MOCHA SHAKE

Ingredients

3 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp sugar
1tsp instant coffee powder
300ml/10 ½ fl oz /1 ¼ cups skimmed milk
200ml / 7fl oz / 3⁄4 cup coconut water

Method

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve over ice if you prefer.

If you prefer filter coffee, reduce some of the liquid for the skimmed milk and coconut water instead.

BERRY BANANA SHAKE

Ingredients

62.5 g / 2.22oz / ¼ cup vanilla whey protein or vegan option
1 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries, sliced
1 small frozen banana or pineapple
165 ml / 10.68 fl oz / ⅔ cup skim milk (oats/coconut/almond milk)
½ cup tart cherry juice
2 tsp honey

Method

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. One serving is a glass, so refrigerate the rest.

How to stay hydrated

Staying hydrated before and during a run is essential to your health and performance.

Make sure you are adequately hydrated before, during, and after the half marathon.

Make sure you are properly hydrated before the half marathon.
How much you sweat can vary.
Work out your average sweat rate to calculate how much liquid you need to carry.
Plan when you will drink during the half marathon.
Replace lost fluids after your run and include electrolytes.

To make sure that you are properly hydrated for your run, it’s important to make hydration a priority before your run. Generally, men need about 3.4 L per day, and women, 2.6 L per day. ^[8]

However, keep in mind that this can vary quite a bit so it’s good to check your hydration levels by using a Runners Urine Chart.

How to work out your average sweat rate

Use shorter runs to work out your average sweat rate to get an estimate of how much fluid you’ll need for longer runs.

Weigh yourself before and after a run.
Any weight you’ve lost will most likely be due to perspiration.
Work out your average sweat rate per hour of running.
Calculate how much liquid you need to carry on your run to replenish fluids during the run.

For example, a 1-hour test run shows that I lose 1.5Ibs of water. Therefore, my sweat rate is about 30 fl oz per hour (0.8 L). For a 2-hour run, I would need to carry 60 fl oz (1.6 L) in my backpack.

As a general guideline, after your run, you need to drink about 1.5L of fluid (50 fl oz) for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) lost in body weight. ^[9]

Sports drinks can be useful here because not only will they replenish electrolytes, but they also contain carbs to keep your energy up.

Running calories vs other exercises

Workout type, intensity, and body weight are the main factors that affect how many calories you can burn in an hour.

Generally, running burns more calories than most other exercises but plenty of workout types torch calories!

1 hour running versus other exercises

Weight	Running	Cycling	HIIT	Swimming	Weight Lifting	Walking
120	531	457	400	331	285	274
130	575	495	433	359	309	297
140	620	533	466	386	333	320
150	664	571	500	414	357	342
160	708	609	533	441	381	365
170	752	647	566	469	404	388
180	797	685	600	497	428	411
190	841	723	633	524	452	434
200	885	762	666	552	476	457
210	930	800	700	580	500	480
220	974	838	733	607	523	502
230	1018	876	766	635	547	525

The number of calories burned in an hour (no matter the workout type) depends on several factors and differs between individuals.

For a better idea of how many calories you burn, here are a few useful calculators:

Calories burned running calculator
Calories burned biking / cycling calculator
Calories burned swimming calculator
Calories burned weight lifting calculator (including bodyweight exercises)

Common misconceptions

While running burns calories, there are some common misconceptions about the number of calories burned and weight loss.

More calories are burned in a short, fast run compared to a long, slow run.
Running is the ultimate calorie torcher
Every calories burned shows on the scale
All runs burns the same
Empty stomach = maximum burn

Faster pace = huge calories boost

Running faster does burn more calories per minute… but the total gain might not be as much as you expect.

Shorter, faster runs can burn fewer calories in total compared to a longer slower run.

For example, a 170-pound runner, running 3 miles in 30 minutes can burn about 397 calories. If the same runner runs 6 miles in 75 minutes, the calories burned running will be 789.

Running is the ultimate calorie torcher

While running is a great fat burner, it’s not the only show in town. Activities like high-intensity interval training (HIIT), swimming, and cycling can burn similar calories. Cross training can also help prevent injuries from over training.

Every calorie burned shows on the scale

Don’t expect immediate weight loss solely based on running calories. Factors like diet, muscle gain, and overall energy expenditure play a bigger role.

Celebrate overall fitness improvements, not just the numbers on the scale.

All runs burn the same

Not all runs burn the same number of calories. Terrain, incline, and wind resistance significantly impact calorie burn.

Hill repeats or running against the wind will torch more calories than a flat, calm course.

Empty stomach = maximum burn

Running on an empty stomach is not always the best strategy. Training low (without eating first) can teach your body to get better at using fat as fuel… but:

Keep your heart rate less than 60%.
Only train low once a week.
A higher heart rate or done more frequently can lead to a depressed immune system.

A few more misconceptions

Ignoring post-run burn: After a run, your body burns calories to repair muscle and restore energy. If your diet is on track, this can significantly increase your total calorie expenditure.

Calories outweigh nutrition: Focusing solely on burning calories can backfire. Eat a balanced diet with adequate protein and carbs to fuel your runs and promote recovery. This will contribute to long-term fitness and overall metabolic health.

Gadget reliance is everything: While heart rate monitors and calorie trackers offer data, they’re not always accurate. Individual factors and environmental conditions influence actual calorie burn. Use them as a guide, not the gospel.

No pain, no gain: Pushing yourself too hard can lead to injury and hinder your fitness journey. Listen to your body, respect your limits, and gradually increase intensity and distance. This will help you avoid burnout and enjoy running in the long run.

Physical benefits of running

Training to run a half marathon will improve your heart health and fitness. It will also help you lose weight, strengthen your body, and improve your sleep.

It takes about 10 to 18 weeks to train for a marathon. During this time, not only will you experience several physical benefits but it will also improve your overall health and well-being.

Boost cardiovascular health

Regular running strengthens your heart, lungs, and circulation and lowers your blood pressure. ^[10]

This translates to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

Increases energy levels

Regular running improves your body’s efficiency at using oxygen. This leads to increased energy levels throughout the day. You’ll feel less fatigued and more capable of tackling your daily tasks.

Enhances weight management

Running is an effective way to burn calories, this will help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. ^[11]

Running also builds muscle mass which results in an increase metabolism which further helps with weight management.

Strengthens bones and muscles

Running is a weight-bearing exercise, meaning it puts stress on your bones and muscles, stimulating them to become stronger.

This can help prevent osteoporosis and improve overall strength and coordination.

Improves sleep quality

Exercise like running can healthily tire your body, promoting better sleep quality and deeper sleep cycles.

Mental benefits of running

Training to run a half marathon can help to reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood, boost your self-esteem, and improve your cognitive function.

Regular running will not only benefit you physically but will also improve your mental health.

Reduces stress and anxiety

During a run, your body releases endorphins in your body which are natural mood-boosters that combat stress and anxiety.[12] Regular running can also help you process the flight and fight response caused by stress and anxiety. [13]

Boosts your mood and self-esteem

Regular exercise, including running, is associated with improved mood and increased self-esteem.

The act of achieving running goals can further contribute to feelings of confidence and positive self-perception.

Enhances cognitive function

Running promotes blood flow to the brain, which can improve cognitive function and memory.

It may also help protect against age-related cognitive decline.

Studies have shown that running helps to mitigate the effect of chronic stress on the brain particularly in the area of learning and memory. [14]

FAQs

How many calories does a half marathon burn?

The calories burned running a half marathon can range from 1,310 to 2,358 depending on your weight and running pace.

Does running speed affect how many calories I burn during a half marathon?

Yes, running speed will affect how many calories you burn running a half marathon. Running at a faster pace will burn more calories. However, a slower pace means you’ll take longer to complete the half marathon so the total calorie burn might be similar.

How many calories do I burn per mile running?

The average person burns about 100 to 180 calories per mile. The calories burned running a marathon can therefore range from 2,620 to about 4,716 (or more).

What other factors affect calorie burn during a half marathon?

Apart from body weight and running pace, other factors that affect calories burned running a half marathon include terrain, wind resistance, running efficiency and muscle mass.

Should I refuel during a half marathon?

Yes, eat or drink carbs after 60 minutes of running and every 45 minutes afterward. This will help you avoid running out of carbs and hitting the wall.

Sources

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