SplitLab

Grade-Adjusted Pace Calculator

7:16/mi

9:27/mi on grade

7:16 /mi GAP · 9:27 /mi on grade · +5% · CR 1.301

/mi
mm:ss. Header US / Metric switches min/mile and min/km. Default 9:27 /mi is 5:52 /km.
%
Signed grade percent. Stepper ±0.5. Chips from −5% to +10%. Clamped to −30%…+30%.
ft
Optional approximate grade from gain / distance. US feet, Metric metres. Not a course profile.
mi
Distance paired with elevation gain for an approximate average grade. US miles, Metric kilometres.
Grade pace
9:27/mi

5:52 /km · 6.35 mph

GAP
7:16/mi

4:31 /km · 8.26 mph

Cost ratio
1.301CR

30% harder than flat

GAP speed
8.26mph

13.30 km/h · +5%

Flat-equivalent

7:16 /mi · 4:31 /km · 8.26 mph · 13.30 km/h at the same Minetti cost as 9:27 /mi on +5%.

Typical road grades sit well inside −30%…+30%. Steeper values are clamped; the polynomial is approximate there.

Minetti 2002 cost of transport — not Strava GAP, not treadmill ACSM VO2. Belt incline lives on the treadmill pace calculator. Same flat mile as the pace converter. Not medical or coaching advice.

Treadmill pace · Calories · Pace converter · Pace · Cadence · Heat pace · Altitude pace.

Worked examples

  • 9:27 /mi · +5%

    GAP 7:16 /mi · CR 1.301 · harder than flat

  • 9:27 /mi · 0%

    GAP 9:27 /mi · CR 1.000 · same as flat

  • 9:27 /mi · −5%

    GAP 12:23 /mi · downhill is easier, so GAP is slower

Formulas

Public metabolic cost of transport, not a branded product. Minetti et al. (2002) published the cost polynomial used here. Same metabolic intensity: flat speed equals grade speed times the cost ratio, so GAP pace is grade pace divided by CR. This page does not clone VDOT, McMillan, or Strava’s proprietary GAP.

  • C(g) = 155.4 g⁵ − 30.4 g⁴ − 43.3 g³ + 46.3 g² + 19.5 g + 3.6
  • C(0) = 3.6 · CR = C(g) / C(0)
  • g = grade % / 100 (+5% → 0.05, −3% → −0.03)
  • v_flat = v_grade × CR
  • GAP_pace = grade_pace / CR
  • approx. grade % = elevation gain / distance × 100
  • 1 mile = 1.609344 km

Minetti AE, Moia C, Roi GS, Susta D, Ferretti G. Energy cost of walking and running at extreme uphill and downhill slopes. J Appl Physiol. 2002. Grade is clamped to −30%…+30%; the polynomial is approximate outside typical road grades. Belt incline and ACSM VO2 live on the treadmill pace calculator. Jones & Doust (1996) 1% indoor air-resistance is not GAP.

Same mile as the pace converter · pace calculator · calories · cadence · treadmill · heat pace · altitude pace. Not medical or coaching advice.

FAQ

What is grade-adjusted pace (GAP)?

Grade-adjusted pace is the flat-road pace that costs the same energy as the pace you are running on a grade. At the same metabolic intensity, uphill GAP looks faster than the watch (lower min/mi). Default 9:27 per mile at +5% is about 7:16 per mile GAP. There is no Calculate button; GAP updates live.

What formula does this GAP calculator use?

Minetti et al., 2002, Journal of Applied Physiology: energy cost of walking and running at extreme uphill and downhill slopes. Cost of transport C(g) = 155.4 g⁵ − 30.4 g⁴ − 43.3 g³ + 46.3 g² + 19.5 g + 3.6 (J/kg/m as published), with g the grade as a decimal (+5% → 0.05). Cost ratio CR = C(g) / 3.6. GAP pace = grade pace / CR. This is public science, not a branded training table.

Why is uphill GAP faster and downhill GAP slower?

Uphill, CR is greater than 1, so the same hill pace is harder than flat — the equivalent flat pace is quicker (9:27/mi at +5% → 7:16/mi). Downhill, CR is less than 1, so the same hill pace is easier — GAP is slower than the watch (9:27/mi at −5% → 12:23/mi). At 0%, CR is 1 and GAP equals the grade pace.

Is this the same as treadmill incline or Jones & Doust?

No. This page is outdoor grade % with Minetti cost of transport. The treadmill pace calculator uses ACSM running VO2 for belt speed and deck incline. Jones & Doust (1996) is a common 1% indoor stand-in for outdoor air resistance — not GAP, and not what the treadmill page computes either.

Is this Strava GAP?

No. This calculator does not use, clone, or describe Strava’s proprietary grade-adjusted pace product. It applies the published Minetti 2002 polynomial only. Numbers will not match a watch or app that uses a different model.

How do I get grade % from elevation gain?

Approximate average grade is elevation gain divided by distance (same length unit), times 100. Optional fields do that for you — US feet over miles, metric metres over kilometres — and are labeled approximate. A course with rolling hills is not one constant grade. Primary input remains signed grade %.