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CalculatorVO₂max calculator from a race time
Type one recent race and get an estimate of your running VO₂max — Jack Daniels’ VDOT — plus what one, two or five more points would be worth at 5 km, 10 km, the half and the marathon.
What a higher number is worth
| VDOT | 5 km | 10 km | Half | Marathon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40.0 (you now) | 24:06 | 50:00 | 1:50:52 | 3:49:34 |
| 41.0 (+1) | 23:36 | 48:57 | 1:48:33 | 3:44:56 |
| 42.0 (+2) | 23:07 | 47:58 | 1:46:20 | 3:40:30 |
| 43.0 (+3) | 22:40 | 47:00 | 1:44:12 | 3:36:14 |
| 45.0 (+5) | 21:48 | 45:13 | 1:40:13 | 3:28:13 |
VDOT is Jack Daniels’ race-based VO₂max: it behaves like a lab VO₂max but includes how economically you run, so it can differ from a lab test or a watch estimate.
VO₂max, from a race instead of a lab
VO₂max is the most oxygen your body can use, in millilitres per kilogram per minute. A lab measures it with a mask on a treadmill. Jack Daniels found a way to estimate an effective version from a race: VDOT. Because it comes from a real performance, it includes your running economy and how much of your maximum you can sustain — things a lab number leaves out — which makes it a better predictor of race times than the lab figure itself.
A 50-minute 10 km gives a VDOT of about 40. A 25-minute parkrun gives about 38. A sub-3 marathon needs about 53.5. Your watch’s VO₂max estimate is a different calculation, from heart rate and pace on ordinary runs, so the two will not match exactly.
What a point is worth
The table under the result shows what one, two, three and five more points are worth. Around VDOT 40, one point is roughly a minute in a 10 km and four to five minutes in a marathon. A point or two in a training block is realistic for most people; five usually takes more than one block.
Raising it
Consistent easy mileage raises VDOT more than anything else, with one threshold session and one interval session a week once the base is there. Every Race Shape plan sets its paces from this number and updates them when you race again.
Common questions
Is VDOT the same as VO₂max?
Not exactly. VDOT is an effective VO₂max calculated from a race, so it includes running economy. Two runners with the same lab VO₂max can have different VDOTs.
Why is my watch VO₂max different?
Watches estimate VO₂max from heart rate and pace during normal runs. VDOT comes from an all-out race. Both are estimates; VDOT is the better predictor of race times.
What VDOT do I need for a sub-4 marathon?
About 38. For a sub-2 half marathon, about 36.5; for a sub-25 parkrun, about 38.3.
How quickly can I raise my VDOT?
A point or two in a 12–16 week block is realistic for most trained runners. Beginners often improve faster at first.
Put this calculator on your club’s website
Free for running clubs, coaches, race organisers and bloggers. Copy the code below into any page that accepts HTML — WordPress, Wix and Squarespace all do — and your members get the same live vo₂max calculator from a race time, with nothing to install and no sign-up.
Keep the credit line under it, please: that is the only thing we ask in return.
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Build a plan from your VDOTFree to build. See your whole block before you pay.