Is running or walking better for weight loss?

Over the same time, running burns about 2.4 times as much energy as walking, so it is more efficient when time is short. For weight, though, the weekly total matters, and regular walking beats runs you can’t keep up.

Does running burn more calories than walking the same distance?

Yes. In a study by Wilkin and colleagues (2012), 1600 m cost 113 kcal running and 89 kcal walking on average, or 159 and 111 kcal including recovery.

How many calories does walking a mile burn compared to running?

In the same study, walking 1600 m (just under a mile) at 3.2 mph burned about 89 kcal and running it at 6 mph about 113 kcal, for people weighing 71 kg on average.

Does running damage your knees?

A 2017 meta-analysis found hip or knee osteoarthritis in 3.5% of recreational runners versus 10.2% of sedentary people. It was more common in long-term competitive runners (13.3%). The data do not prove cause and effect.

Running vs walking calories: what burns more and which to choose

October 22, 2026

Running vs walking calories over the same distance: running burns more. In a study by Wilkin and colleagues (2012), 1600 m (about a mile) cost 113 kcal running and 89 kcal walking on average. Over the same time the gap is bigger, because running covers almost twice the ground. For weight loss, what matters is your weekly total, so the activity you can keep doing wins.

You often hear that a mile is a mile, and walking it burns as many calories as running it. That is not quite true, and there are measurements showing by how much. Here are the numbers, what they mean for weight loss, and how to choose where to start.

Running vs walking calories over the same distance

In a study by Wilkin, Cheryl and Haddock (2012), 30 people of average fitness (15 women and 15 men, around 22 years old, 71 kg on average) walked and ran 1600 metres, which is just under a mile. They walked at 5.2 km/h (3.2 mph) and ran at 9.6 km/h (6 mph). Energy use was measured from oxygen consumption during the exercise and for 30 minutes afterwards.

1600 m (≈1 mile), group averages. Converted from kilojoules: 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ.
	Walking	Running
During exercise	89 kcal	113 kcal
Including recovery	111 kcal	159 kcal
Per kilometreduring	≈56 kcal	≈70 kcal

So over the same distance, running costs about a quarter more, and almost half as much again once recovery is included. Energy use returned to resting levels 10 minutes after the walk and 15 minutes after the run.

Over the same time, running burns about 2.4 times more

Scale the same averages to half an hour: in 30 minutes at those speeds you would walk about 2.6 km and burn roughly 144 kcal, or run 4.8 km and burn about 338 kcal. To burn as much walking as running, you would need to cover about 1.3 times the distance and walk about 2.4 times as long.

These are averages for young adults weighing about 71 kg. Your own numbers depend mostly on body weight and speed, so work them out for your run or walk in the calorie calculator.

Running or walking for weight loss: a six-year study

Paul Williams (2013) followed 15,237 walkers and 32,216 runners for six years through questionnaires. Weight loss was linked to both walking and running, but at the same energy expenditure more strongly to running: in men of every weight group and in the heaviest quarter of women. In the heaviest quarter of participants, each MET-hour of running came with 90% more weight loss than a MET-hour of walking.

This is an observational study, not an experiment: people chose whether to run or walk and reported their own data. It cannot prove that running itself is the cause, as runners may differ in other ways too. But it fits the measurements above: running burns more in the same time.

Which to choose if you are just starting

If you can’t run for 20 minutes without stopping yet, start with walking or run-walk intervals: one minute running, two minutes walking. That still burns more than a plain walk.
If you are short on time, running burns more per session.
If any running feels too hard or your joints hurt, regular walks beat runs you give up after two weeks.
Either way, count your weekly total, not a single workout. Weight responds to the sum.

Does running hurt your knees?

This is a common argument for walking. A 2017 meta-analysis by Alentorn-Geli and colleagues pooled studies of more than 114,000 people: hip or knee osteoarthritis was found in 3.5% of recreational runners, 10.2% of sedentary people and 13.3% of competitive runners. The authors note that the data cannot establish cause and effect. If your knees already hurt, talk to a doctor about your training plan.

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FAQ

Is running or walking better for weight loss?: Over the same time, running burns about 2.4 times as much energy as walking, so it is more efficient when time is short. For weight, though, the weekly total matters, and regular walking beats runs you can’t keep up.
Does running burn more calories than walking the same distance?: Yes. In a study by Wilkin and colleagues (2012), 1600 m cost 113 kcal running and 89 kcal walking on average, or 159 and 111 kcal including recovery.
How many calories does walking a mile burn compared to running?: In the same study, walking 1600 m (just under a mile) at 3.2 mph burned about 89 kcal and running it at 6 mph about 113 kcal, for people weighing 71 kg on average.
Does running damage your knees?: A 2017 meta-analysis found hip or knee osteoarthritis in 3.5% of recreational runners versus 10.2% of sedentary people. It was more common in long-term competitive runners (13.3%). The data do not prove cause and effect.