Running · race equivalency

Race equivalency calculator

Put in a recent race result and compare the same performance across standard running distances. No dead external link, no account, no motivational sermon from a watch.

Known performance

Advanced: fatigue exponent

1.06 is the classic Riegel value. Lower values preserve speed better as distance rises; higher values impose more fatigue. This is an equivalency model, not a substitute for distance-specific training.

Equivalent performance

40:50

T₂ = T₁ × (D₂ ÷ D₁)k

The calculator uses Peter Riegel’s endurance relationship, published in American Scientist in 1981. It is most useful when the known and target performances are both genuine endurance efforts and the runner is comparably trained for both distances.

Riegel, “Athletic Records and Human Endurance” →

Equivalent times

DistanceEquivalent timePace / mile

Race equivalency is not prophecy. Hills, heat, wind, course surface, fatigue, fueling, injury, and whether you actually trained for the target distance all remain stubbornly real.