Cadence & Stride
Enter your pace and cadence (steps per minute) to get your stride length.
At the same pace, a higher cadence means a shorter stride — and lower injury risk.
'
"
Time per kilometer
Steps per minute — from your watch/app
Also shows stride as % of height
Stride length
—
cm
Speed
—
km/h
How it works · about cadence
speed = cadence × stride — we solve for stride.
Speed (m/min) = 1000 ÷ pace (min/km); stride (m) = speed (m/min) ÷ cadence (spm).
Why cadence matters
- A common target is 170–185 spm. Too low (<160) means a longer stride and overstriding, raising knee/shin impact.
- Raising cadence by 5–10 at the same pace shortens the stride and softens landing — good for injury prevention.
- The '180 rule' is a myth — the optimum varies with height, leg length and speed. Increase gradually, about 5% at a time.
Note: even elites drop into the 160s on easy jogs. What matters isn't the number but whether you're overstriding.
Sources: running biomechanics research on cadence & overstriding · RunnerOn
Cadence is hard to fix alone
A metronome app and running with people at a similar cadence makes it stick. Find runners at your pace in RunnerOn crews.
