Cadence and stride calculator
This running cadence calculator works out your stride length from cadence and pace, or the cadence needed to hit a target stride length at a given pace. Enter your pace, pick which one to solve for, and get the answer plus a table showing how stride length shifts across a 160 to 190 steps-per-minute cadence range at that same pace.
Stride length
1.14m
Stride length at this pace
| Cadence | Stride |
|---|---|
| 160 | 1.25 m |
| 165 | 1.21 m |
| 170 | 1.18 m |
| 175 | 1.14 m |
| 180 | 1.11 m |
| 185 | 1.08 m |
| 190 | 1.05 m |
How it works
Pace, cadence and stride length are locked together geometrically: speed equals cadence times stride length, so knowing any two gives the third. The calculator rearranges that relationship depending on whether you're solving for stride length or cadence.
At a fixed pace, a higher cadence always means a shorter stride and vice versa, which is why the table below holds your entered pace constant and only varies cadence, showing exactly how much shorter each step gets as cadence rises from 160 to 190 steps per minute.
Cadence around 170 to 180 steps per minute is commonly cited as efficient for many runners, though the ideal figure depends on height, pace and running economy rather than being a single number everyone should chase.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my stride length?
Divide your speed by your cadence in steps per second: at a 5:00/km pace, that's 12 km/h, or about 3.33 m/s. Divide that by your cadence to get metres per step. This calculator does that division for you from pace and cadence directly.
What is a good running cadence?
Many runners land somewhere between 165 and 185 steps per minute, with 170 to 180 often cited as an efficient range, though taller runners tend to run a bit lower and shorter runners a bit higher. There's no single correct number, and forcing a big change quickly raises injury risk.
Does a longer stride make me faster?
Not on its own. At a fixed cadence, a longer stride does mean more speed, but over-striding, reaching the foot too far in front of the body, tends to increase braking forces and injury risk rather than help. Most gains in speed come from moving both cadence and stride length together as fitness improves.
Related tools
- Pace calculatorSolve for running pace, time or distance from the other two, free, with instant km/h and mph conversions and a full race-distance time table.
- Pace converterConvert running speed between km/h, mph, min/km and min/mi instantly, free, with a reference table spanning 6 to 22 km/h for quick lookup.
- Race time predictorPredict your 5K, 10K, half and marathon time from a recent race using the Riegel formula, free, the same model the Overload app uses.
- VDOT calculatorCalculate your Daniels VDOT, VMA and VO2max from a race result, free, with training pace zones the same way the Overload app computes them.
Overload shows cadence on every run
Overload calculates your cadence and stride length automatically from GPS data on every logged run, so you can track how they shift with pace and fatigue. Free on iOS and Android.