Convert miles to kilometres
Miles to kilometres with exact 1.609344 arithmetic, race distances built into the table, and metres, yards and feet alongside.
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kilometres = miles × 1.609344 = 26.2 × 1.609344 = 42.165 km 1 mi = 1.609344 km
| miles | kilometres |
|---|---|
| 1 mi | 1.609 km |
| 2 mi | 3.219 km |
| 3 mi | 4.828 km |
| 3.1 mi | 4.989 km |
| 5 mi | 8.047 km |
| 6.2 mi | 9.978 km |
| 10 mi | 16.093 km |
| 13.1 mi | 21.082 km |
| 15 mi | 24.140 km |
| 20 mi | 32.187 km |
| 26.2 mi | 42.165 km |
| 30 mi | 48.280 km |
| 50 mi | 80.467 km |
| 60 mi | 96.561 km |
| 70 mi | 112.654 km |
| 100 mi | 160.934 km |
The exact factor, and why it is exact
A statute mile is 5,280 feet. A foot is exactly 0.3048 m. Multiply and you get 1,609.344 m, or 1.609344 km, to the last digit — no measurement, no uncertainty, just two definitions multiplied together. Every road-sign conversion you have ever seen rounds this number; this page does not have to.
Running distances
Race distances are defined in metres and then described in miles, which is why the mile figures always look untidy:
| Race | Official distance | In miles |
|---|---|---|
| 5K | 5,000 m | 3.10686 mi |
| 10K | 10,000 m | 6.21371 mi |
| Half marathon | 21,097.5 m | 13.10938 mi |
| Marathon | 42,195 m | 26.21876 mi |
| Mile | 1,609.344 m | 1 mi |
The marathon is not "26.2 miles rounded to 42.195 km" — it is the other way round. The distance was fixed in metres in 1921, and 26.2 is the rounded description.
Speeds convert with the same number
Miles per hour to kilometres per hour uses the identical factor, because the hours cancel:
- 30 mph = 48.28 km/h (a UK urban limit against a European 50)
- 50 mph = 80.47 km/h
- 60 mph = 96.56 km/h
- 70 mph = 112.65 km/h (UK motorway against a French 130)
Note that speedometers are legally permitted to over-read and never to under-read, typically by 1–3% plus a fixed offset. The conversion here is exact; your dashboard is deliberately pessimistic.
Pace inverts
A pace is time per distance, so it converts the opposite way to a distance. To turn minutes per mile into minutes per kilometre you divide by 1.609344. An 8:00/mile pace is 4:58/km; a 5:00/km pace is 8:03/mile. Getting this backwards is the most common conversion error in running, and it flatters you by about 60%.
Nautical miles are a different unit
A nautical mile is exactly 1,852 m — originally one minute of latitude — which makes it about 15% longer than a land mile. Aviation and marine distances, and the knot (one nautical mile per hour), all use it. If your figure came from a chart or a flight plan, convert with 1.852, not 1.609344.
Questions
How many kilometres is a mile?
Exactly 1.609344 km. The land mile is defined as 5,280 feet, and the foot as 0.3048 m, so the conversion is exact rather than measured.
How long is a marathon in kilometres?
42.195 km. The often-quoted 26.2 miles is itself a rounding — the exact distance was fixed in metres, at 42,195 m, in 1921.
Does this work for mph to km/h?
Yes, the ratio is the same: 60 mph is 96.56 km/h and 70 mph is 112.65 km/h. Convert the number and read the answer in the other unit per hour.
What about nautical miles?
A nautical mile is 1.852 km exactly — about 15% longer than a land mile. This page uses the statute (land) mile.