Enter your weight and distance to calculate your calories burned trail running. A 150-lb person burns about 120 calories per mile trail running.

Trail Running Calories Calculator

Basic
Advanced

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Trail Running Calories Burned Formula

The Basic tab uses a simple distance formula:

Calories Burned (kcal) = Weight (lb) × Distance (miles) × 0.80

The Advanced tab adds elevation gain and trail condition:

Calories Burned (kcal) = [Weight × Distance × 0.80 × Trail Factor] + [Weight × Elevation Gain (ft) × 0.0013]

Variables:

  • Weight is your body weight in pounds.
  • Distance is your trail run distance in miles.
  • Trail Factor adjusts for surface and difficulty: 1.00 for a typical dirt trail, 0.95 for a smooth packed trail, 1.10 for a technical trail, and 1.20 for a steep rocky trail.
  • Elevation Gain is the total climb during the run in feet.

What is Trail Running?

Trail running is running on natural surfaces such as dirt, gravel, forest, desert, and mountain trails. Compared with road running, it usually includes more climbing, more uneven footing, and more frequent pace changes.

Calories Burned Trail Running by Distance

For a 150-lb runner using the Basic formula:

DistanceCalories Burned
1 mile120 calories
3 miles360 calories
5 miles600 calories
8 miles960 calories
10 miles1,200 calories

How to Calculate Calories Burned Trail Running

  1. Enter your weight in pounds.
  2. Enter your distance in miles.
  3. If you want more detail, switch to the Advanced tab and enter elevation gain and trail condition.
  4. Click Calculate to see your calories burned.

Example

Weight = 150 pounds

Distance = 5 miles

Calories Burned = 150 × 5 × 0.80 = 600 calories