VDOT calculator
Enter a recent race distance and time. Paces come back in both minutes per kilometre and per mile.
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Training paces
What is VDOT?
A performance-derived fitness score that folds aerobic capacity and running economy into one number. It is calculated from a race result rather than measured in a laboratory, which is why two runners with the same VO₂max can have different VDOTs. Training paces are then set as fixed percentages of that score.
Calculated, not looked up
Most VDOT tools work from a printed table and interpolate between rows. This one evaluates the two published equations directly, so a 19:47 five kilometre gets its own answer rather than being rounded to the nearest table entry.
The first equation converts running velocity into an oxygen cost in millilitres per kilogram per minute. The second says what fraction of maximum a runner can hold for a given duration — about 100% for six minutes, dropping toward 80% as a race stretches past an hour. Dividing one by the other gives VDOT.
Because the duration curve does the work, the same VDOT can come from a fast 5 km or a slower marathon. That is the design intent: it is meant to be comparable across distances.
The Daniels-Gilbert equations
Two curves, then a division. v is velocity in metres per minute, t is time in minutes.
oxygen cost of the pace:VO₂ = −4.60 + 0.182258·v + 0.000104·v²fraction of maximum sustainable for that duration:%max = 0.8 + 0.1894393·e^(−0.012778·t)+ 0.2989558·e^(−0.1932605·t)VDOT = VO₂ ÷ %maxtraining paces, as a percentage of VDOT:easy 68% marathon 84% threshold 88%interval 98% repetition 106%
The second equation is the interesting one. At six minutes it returns almost 1.0, meaning a six-minute effort is run at essentially maximum oxygen uptake. By two hours it has fallen to roughly 0.80 — a marathon is run at about 80% of maximum, however hard it feels.
To turn a percentage of VDOT back into a pace, the oxygen-cost curve is inverted numerically: the tool searches for the velocity whose oxygen cost equals the target. That is why the paces come out as continuous values rather than rounded table steps.
Worked example: 20:00 for 5 km
A twenty-minute five kilometre, which is a common benchmark result.
- Velocity = 5000 m ÷ 20 min250 m/min
- VO₂ = −4.60 + 0.182258(250) + 0.000104(250²)47.46 ml/kg/min
- %max at t = 20 min0.9530
- VDOT = 47.46 ÷ 0.953049.8
A VDOT of about 49.8, giving an easy pace near 5:15/km and a threshold pace near 4:16/km.
Note how far apart easy and threshold sit — almost a minute per kilometre. The most common training error is running easy days closer to threshold effort, which accumulates fatigue without the adaptation either zone is meant to produce.
The five zones and what each is for
- Easy, 68% — the bulk of weekly volume, conversational, builds aerobic base
- Marathon, 84% — sustained race effort for the full distance
- Threshold, 88% — comfortably hard, roughly one-hour race effort, raises lactate clearance
- Interval, 98% — three to five minute repeats at close to maximum oxygen uptake
- Repetition, 106% — short and fast with full recovery, for economy and form
Easy is deliberately slower than most runners expect. That is the point of it.
Assumptions and limits
- Assumes a genuine maximal race effort on a flat, accurate course
- A training run or a hilly race will understate your VDOT
- Paces are flat-ground equivalents — adjust for hills, heat, altitude and wind
- Longer race distances weight endurance more heavily than a short one
- VDOT is a training tool, not a medical measurement of VO₂max
Terms on this page
- VDOT
- A performance-derived fitness score combining aerobic capacity and running economy, calculated from a race result rather than measured in a lab.
- Running economy
- How much oxygen you use at a given pace. Two runners with the same VO₂max can differ substantially here, which is why VDOT is not VO₂max.
- Threshold pace
- Roughly one-hour race effort, about 88% of VDOT. Trains lactate clearance and is the classic tempo run.
- Reps in reserve
- Borrowed from lifting, but the same idea applies to pacing — how much you had left. Easy running should leave a great deal.
Common questions
Is VDOT the same as VO₂max?
No. VO₂max is a physiological measurement taken in a laboratory. VDOT is derived from a race result and therefore includes running economy — how efficiently you convert oxygen into speed. Two runners with identical VO₂max values can have quite different VDOTs.
Which race should I use?
A recent, genuinely maximal effort on an accurate course. A 5 km or 10 km is the usual choice because it is long enough to be aerobic and short enough to race often. If you enter a race you did not fully commit to, every training pace derived from it will be too fast.
Why is my easy pace so slow?
Because easy running is meant to be easy. It sits at 68% of VDOT precisely so it can be repeated day after day without accumulating fatigue. Running easy days harder than prescribed is the single most common error in amateur training.
How often should I recalculate?
After each significant race, or roughly every four to six weeks of consistent training. Chasing a new VDOT after every good session produces paces you cannot sustain across a full week.
Do these paces work on hills or in heat?
They are flat-ground, temperate-condition equivalents. Heat, humidity, altitude, wind and gradient all raise the effort needed for a given pace, so run by effort rather than by the watch when conditions are against you.
Where these numbers come from
- Daniels & Gilbert — Oxygen Power, the published VDOT equations The oxygen-cost and duration curves used here, as reproduced in the running-science literature.
- Athletics Canada National governing body; Canadian competition standards and coaching resources.
Last verified 2026-08-01 Rates on this page are checked against the sources above at least once a year, and whenever the governing authority announces a change. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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