VDOT Calculator
Jack Daniels' formula: training paces and equivalent race times from one result.
This free VDOT calculator uses Jack Daniels' Running Formula. Enter one recent race time to get your VDOT, predicted times from 1500m to marathon, and your Easy, Marathon, Threshold, Interval and Repetition training paces.
What is my VDOT, and what paces does it give me?
Predictions assume distance-specific training and a race run in fair conditions. Heat above 55°F and altitude above 3,000 ft cost real time — toggle the adjustments below before you trust the numbers.
VDOT quick lookup table
Equivalent race times and Daniels training paces (min/mile) for every VDOT from 30 to 70. A VDOT 50 runner races 5K in 19:56 and runs threshold at 6:51/mi. Enter your own race time below for exact numbers, min/km, and heat or altitude correction.
| VDOT | 5K | 10K | Half | Marathon | Easy /mi | Threshold /mi | Interval /mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 30:41 | 1:03:49 | 2:21:17 | 4:49:49 | 12:19 | 10:18 | 9:28 |
| 35 | 26:59 | 56:02 | 2:04:13 | 4:16:06 | 10:56 | 9:07 | 8:22 |
| 40 | 24:06 | 50:01 | 1:50:54 | 3:49:37 | 9:50 | 8:12 | 7:31 |
| 45 | 21:49 | 45:13 | 1:40:14 | 3:28:16 | 8:57 | 7:27 | 6:50 |
| 50 | 19:56 | 41:20 | 1:31:31 | 3:10:40 | 8:14 | 6:51 | 6:16 |
| 55 | 18:22 | 38:06 | 1:24:16 | 2:55:55 | 7:38 | 6:20 | 5:48 |
| 60 | 17:03 | 35:22 | 1:18:09 | 2:43:22 | 7:06 | 5:54 | 5:25 |
| 65 | 15:55 | 33:02 | 1:12:54 | 2:32:35 | 6:40 | 5:32 | 5:04 |
| 70 | 14:56 | 31:01 | 1:08:23 | 2:23:13 | 6:16 | 5:13 | 4:47 |
step 1
step 2
Use the Adjust tab to correct for heat or altitude. Your input persists between visits.
what's next
- → — E/M/T/I/R at every track segment
- → Equivalent race times — what you should run at 1500m through marathon
- → Adjust for race-day heat or altitude
- → Definitions — pace purpose, %HRmax, sample workouts
Frequently asked
What is VDOT?
VDOT is Jack Daniels' single-number measure of running fitness, derived from a race result rather than a laboratory test. It folds VO2max and running economy together, which is why two runners with identical lab values can carry different VDOT scores. Every training pace and race prediction on this page comes from that one number.
How is VDOT different from VO2max?
VO2max is a laboratory measurement of how much oxygen you can use. VDOT is a pseudo-VO2max inferred from what you actually raced, so it already contains your running economy, pacing skill and race-day durability. That makes VDOT more useful for prescribing paces: it describes the performance you produced, not the oxygen you consumed.
Which race should I enter for the most accurate VDOT?
Use your most recent all-out race, run in fair conditions, at a distance close to the one you are training for. A 5K or 10K from the last six weeks suits most runners. Half and full marathon results are valid too, but they under-rate anyone who has not yet built marathon-specific endurance.
How often should I update my VDOT?
Recalculate every four to eight weeks inside a structured block, and after every honest race. A well-run training cycle usually moves VDOT by one to three points. If your score has not moved in three months while your volume keeps climbing, change the intensity distribution before you add any more miles.
What do E, M, T, I and R paces mean?
They are the five Daniels training zones. Easy builds aerobic base at roughly 59–74% of VO2max, Marathon sits near 84%, Threshold near 88% to train lactate clearance, Interval near 98% to develop VO2max, and Repetition above 100% for speed and economy over short, fully recovered efforts.
How accurate is the VDOT calculator?
It uses the published Daniels-Gilbert formula and is the industry standard for race prediction and pace prescription. Most predictions are within 1-3% when fitness is current and the input race was honest.
Can I enter pace instead of time?
Yes — toggle to pace mode and enter min:sec per mile or km. We back-calculate the total time for the chosen distance.
Do temperature and altitude really matter?
Yes. Heat above 55°F costs ~0.5%/°F and altitude above 3000ft costs ~2%/1000ft. Toggle the environmental adjustments to apply them.
What is the threshold pace for VDOT 50?
VDOT 50 threshold (tempo) pace is about 6:51 per mile (4:15 per km). Easy pace is roughly 8:14/mi, marathon pace 7:06/mi, interval pace 6:16/mi and repetition pace 5:56/mi.
What is a good VDOT score?
Recreational runners typically sit between VDOT 30 and 45. VDOT 50 is a strong club runner (about 20:00 for 5K), VDOT 60 is competitive regional level (about 17:03 for 5K), and VDOT 70+ is national/elite class.
What marathon time does VDOT 50 predict?
VDOT 50 predicts roughly a 3:10 marathon, 1:31 half marathon, 41:20 10K and 20:00 5K — assuming marathon-specific endurance training, not just 5K fitness.
How do I convert VDOT to race pace?
Each Daniels training zone is a fixed percentage of VDOT: Easy ~70%, Marathon ~84%, Threshold ~88%, Interval ~98%, Repetition ~105%. The calculator solves the Daniels-Gilbert velocity equation at each percentage and prints the pace in min/mi and min/km.
Is this the same as the official Daniels VDOT tables?
Yes — the numbers come from the same Daniels-Gilbert equations used to build the tables in Daniels' Running Formula, so results match the published tables to within a second or two of rounding.
VDOT is Jack Daniels' single-number proxy for running fitness — a way to express the VO2max you'd need to produce the race result you just ran, after correcting for how long you held it (because you can't hold 100% of VO2max for an hour). The Daniels–Gilbert equations behind this VDOT calculator are two curves: an oxygen-cost curve that converts running velocity into ml/kg/min, and a duration curve that says what fraction of VO2max you can sustain for a given race time.
VO₂ = −4.60 + 0.182258·v + 0.000104·v² // v in m/min %max = 0.8 + 0.1894393·e^(−0.012778·t) + 0.2989558·e^(−0.1932605·t) // t in min VDOT = VO₂ ÷ %max
Worked example. Run 5K in 20:00. Velocity is 5000 m ÷ 20 min = 250 m/min. Plug into the cost curve: VO₂ ≈ −4.60 + 45.56 + 6.50 ≈ 47.46 ml/kg/min. Plug 20 minutes into the duration curve: %max ≈ 0.8 + 0.1894393·e^(−0.2556) + 0.2989558·e^(−3.8652) ≈ 0.953. So VDOT ≈ 47.46 ÷ 0.953 ≈ 49.8 — matching the table above, and lining up with a ~3:10–3:11 marathon equivalent, a ~1:31 half, and an Easy pace near 5:35–6:00/km.
From that one number you get every training pace this page shows: Easy (E) at 59–74% of VDOT, Marathon (M) at ~84%, Threshold (T) at ~88%, Interval (I) at ~98%, and Repetition (R) at >100% but over very short intervals. Heat above 55 °F and altitude above 3,000 ft both raise the cost of holding the same velocity, which is why the environmental toggle above slows the recommended paces.
Jack Daniels VDOT: The Complete Guide
What VDOT measures, how to calculate it, and how to translate it into easy, threshold, interval, and repetition paces.
Heart Rate vs Power vs Pace
Which metric should anchor your training? Pros, cons and how to combine VDOT pace with HR.
The Taper Myth
Why most runners taper wrong — and how to keep your VDOT sharp into race day.
Zone 2: Why Slow Training Builds Fast Athletes
Easy pace from your VDOT is the engine room of every PR — here's how to use it.
Triathlon time predictor
Carry your VDOT pace into Sprint, Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman finish-time splits.
Marathon pace calculator
Goal-pace splits, halves and km/mile breakdowns — built off VDOT.
AI race-day nutrition plan
Personal carbs/hr, sodium and fluids plan generated for your goal race.
Carb loading calculator
Race-week carb load grams/day from body weight and event distance.
Ironman time predictor
Full IM finish time and splits from your standalone swim, bike and run paces.
Weight & pace impact
See how a body-weight change shifts your VDOT-implied marathon time.
Breno MeloHead Coach · USA Triathlon, Road Runners Club of America, TrainingPeaksEmail me my VDOT paces
One printable page: your VDOT, predicted times across every distance, and E/M/T/I/R paces in min/km and min/mi.
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Daniels–Gilbert VDOT
VO2(v) = -4.60 + 0.182258·v + 0.000104·v² (v in m/min) %VO2max(t) = 0.8 + 0.1894393·e^(-0.012778·t) + 0.2989558·e^(-0.1932605·t) (t in minutes) VDOT = VO2(v) / %VO2max(t) Training paces are then read back off the VDOT curve at fixed %VO2max intensities: Easy 59–74%, Marathon 75–84%, Threshold 83–88%, Interval 95–100%, Repetition supra-maximal.
- The race performance you enter was an all-out effort on a flat, accurately measured course in neutral conditions.
- Running economy is close to the population average — VDOT is a performance index, not a measured VO2max.
- You are currently in roughly the fitness the entered race reflects (within about six weeks).
- It does not know your economy, so two athletes with identical VDOT can need different absolute paces.
- It systematically over-predicts marathon pace for athletes whose weekly volume is low relative to their 5K speed.
- Accuracy degrades sharply for efforts under three minutes and over about three hours, where the %VO2max curve was least sampled.
- It carries no adjustment for heat, altitude, wind or hills. Combine it with the heat and grade-adjusted calculators.
Trained and elite distance runners, predominantly male collegiate and sub-elite athletes tested in laboratory and track settings in the 1970s.
Formula, constants and cited sources last verified on . Spotted something wrong? Email breno@brenoamelo.com and it gets corrected and dated.
References
Every physiological claim on this page traces to one of the primary sources below — the original paper, textbook or governing-body standard, not a secondary write-up.
- 01Daniels J, Gilbert J (1979). Oxygen Power: Performance Tables for Distance Runners. Self-published, Tempe, AZ — the original VDOT tables and the %VO2max / VO2-velocity regressions still used today. OCLC 8221265
- 02Daniels J (2021). Daniels' Running Formula, 4th edition. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL. ISBN 978-1-4925-7443-2
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