Cardio calculator
1.5 mile run test calculator
Estimate VO₂ max from the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) run — the aerobic test most military and police entry standards use. Enter your time. Free, instant, no sign-up.
A test time is a baseline — the coach turns it into the weeks that move it.
What is the 1.5 mile run test?
Run 1.5 miles — 2.4 km, six laps of a 400 m track — as fast as you can, and your finishing time estimates your aerobic capacity. It is the aerobic component of entry and annual standards for armed forces and police services in a great many countries, which is why most people meet it as a requirement to pass rather than a test to take.
How this calculator works
VO₂ max ≈ 483 ÷ time in minutes + 3.5, with time entered in decimal minutes so 11 minutes 30 seconds is 11.5. The equation is a straightforward inverse: because pace over a fixed distance is distance over time, a faster finish maps directly onto a higher oxygen uptake. No weight or age term is involved, so the estimate depends on the run alone.
Running the test properly
Use a measured flat course — a track is ideal, because a hilly route or a headwind quietly changes what the number means. Warm up for ten minutes, then run the whole distance as a genuine time trial. The commonest way to get a bad result is to go out too hard in the first lap and crawl the last two: an even pace produces both a faster time and a truer estimate. Re-test under the same conditions if you want to compare.
How accurate is it?
It assumes a maximal effort from someone who can run continuously. Hold anything back and the estimate reads low — the equation cannot tell pacing from fitness. It also flatters very fit runners slightly and penalises beginners who have the engine but not the running economy to use it. Treat it as a number to beat next time rather than a lab measurement, and use a walking test instead if running the distance is not safe for you yet.