The average human running speed varies from person to person. It depends on things like your gender, sex, and age, as well as how much ground you're covering, the terrain you're traveling on, and the surface you're running across.

The average running speed of a human being is technically 4.6 miles per hour but this is essentially jogging. Actual running is closer to 10 miles per hour (equal to about a 6-minute mile pace) but this is limited to very short distances (400m). This fast pace, however, can vary depending on the terrain and the size of the person.

If a person runs at 10 miles per hour on flat ground, he or she might only run at 5 miles per hour uphill. Olympic caliber sprinters like Usain Bolt can reach speeds closer to 25 mph.

What Factors Affect Your Average Running Speed

The average running speed of a human being is 4.6 miles per hour. This fast pace, however, can vary depending on the terrain and the size of the person. If a person runs at 10 miles per hour on flat ground, he or she might only run at 5 miles per hour uphill.

Terrain

According to Runner's World Magazine, the grade of the road or trail affects how long it takes a runner to cover a certain distance. A grade of -1 percent means that the course goes downhill; 1 percent means that the course is uphill. The slope affects your speed more than whether you're running on a road or a trail, according to Runner's World.

People typically run anywhere from 5 mph to 12 mph during their workouts, with some people running at much faster speeds. Professional marathon runners run at an average pace of between 6 mph and 8 mph.

There is a lot of discussion going on about how human running speed changes with age. Some argue that the average running speed of a human decreases after 30, while others argue that it increases after the age of 30. One suggestion for this is that there are variations in running speed due to genetics. Another one is that muscle composition changes with age and reduces the efficiency of the running movement. Everyday tasks like walking, jogging, and sprinting are common activities for humans.

Genetics

There is a lot of discussion going on about how human running speed changes with age. Some argue that the average running speed of a human decreases after 30, while others argue that it increases after the age of 30. One suggestion for this is that there are variations in running speed due to genetics. Another one is that muscle composition changes with age and reduces the efficiency of the running movement. Everyday tasks like walking, jogging, and sprinting are common activities for humans.

There are a number of factors that can affect your running speed. These factors can include:

Weight: Impact on Average Running Speed

Weigh is a crucial factor for determining your average running speed. Running is about putting as much energy into your body as possible to propel yourself forward. The more you weigh, the harder it is to move quickly from one place to another because there's more mass to move; however, if you're lighter and have less mass to move, then moving faster is easier for you.

Age: Impact on Average Running Speed

Age: There's been some debate over whether age affects our ability to run fast or not. Some people think that as we get older our bodies become less efficient at converting energy into motion which means we slow down; others argue that once we hit 30 years old then our bodies start realizing they'll never again run so fast again, so they slow down in advance of the inevitable.

Gender: Impact on Average Running Speed

Gender is an important factor. Men’s and women’s bodies are different, and women typically run slower than men because they have less muscle mass and less testosterone, the male sex hormone that builds muscle and strength. Women also tend to have more body fat than men—26 percent on average, compared to only 18 percent for men—and carrying extra weight will make you run more slowly.

Women begin at a disadvantage because of their smaller size compared to men, but they tend to reach their peak sprint speed earlier than men do. Women's legs and bodies are shorter than men's, so they have shorter strides and less distance per stride. This makes it harder for women to develop good sprinting form, which is why women's average sprint speed is lower than men's.

However, in races that are longer than a sprint, such as a marathon or ultra-marathon women's muscles hold more fat and store more glycogen -- forms of energy used during the race -- which gives them an advantage over men. The longer a race lasts, the more important this factor becomes.

Lifestyle: Impact on Average Running Speed

A runner’s speed is affected by genetics, as well as one’s environment and other physical activities performed. Those who perform more aerobic activities such as running, jogging, or cycling tend to have faster running speeds than those who haven’t performed any other physical activity.

How to measure personal average running speed

When calculating your average running speed, you must first establish a baseline by determining the distance traveled for a given period of time. You can do this by running for a certain distance and then recording how long it took you to cover that distance. It is not necessary to run for the same amount of time each day as long as you run at the same pace each time. Your average running speed can be calculated from your maximum running speed and your average speed.

The fastest recorded human was Usain Bolt, who ran at the equivalent of 27 miles per hour in 2009 during his Olympic 100 meters final race against Tyson Gay, which he won by five hundredths of a second.

How long does it take to run distances by speed?

The amount of time it takes to run shorter races and longer races is not linear. That is, running a mile twice as long as another doesn't take twice as much time (although it will take significantly more time).

With that in mind, the following is the range of times it takes to complete these distances at an average pace:

Average Running Speed for Half Marathon

The average running speed for a half marathon is about 15 meters per second, which means it takes about two hours and thirty minutes to run one marathon.

Average running speeds per age for men

The average running speed of a human is dependent on the age of the person. Many factors affect the speed, but one thing that is always constant is an individual’s body mass.

For example, the average running speed for men between 5-17 years old is approximately 12.4 miles per hour (mph), while for men between 18-34 years old, it’s about 14 mph.

Average running speeds per age for women

Despite being a woman, women have lower running speeds than men do. The average running rate for a human is about 3.35 miles per hour, whereas the average running speed is about 2.78 miles per hour.

In their 20s, the average running speed of women was 2.93 miles per hour, while men had an average of 3.36 mph in their 20s.

In their 30s, the average running speed of women was 2.92 miles per hour, while men had an average of 3.32 mph in their 30s.

Wild animal speeds compared to the average human athlete running speed.

The average human running speed is about 3.5 miles per hour. While a wild animal can reach a much faster rate, this is not the only speed that matters when comparing the two.

Wild animals and human athletes are both good at running, but they're not good at the same things. A human athlete can sustain a lot of power over a long period of time, and they're built to have more muscle mass than a wild animal. Meanwhile, a wild animal is built to run short distances fast.

Most animals don't have much muscle mass because they need to be able to move quickly in case they're being chased by predators like lions or bears or eagles. Their muscles are also more efficient at using oxygen, which means that their blood is richer with oxygen and can move around their bodies more quickly. That's why some of them might have short legs but very powerful muscles—they need to be able to run fast!

Conclusion

You may have seen The Running Man in the movies – it is a game where the protagonist has to outrun an assassin while dodging obstacles like cars and people. If you ever wondered what your running speed would be, then you can find out by calculating your distance per minute.

Speed can be calculated by multiplying distance with time. The average run for humans is approximately 3 miles per hour, which means that it takes them about 11 minutes to complete one mile.