What is the distance of a 5K run in miles?

A 5K run covers 3.1 miles. The “5K” name comes from the metric distance of 5 kilometres, and because one kilometre equals about 0.621371 miles, the total converts to approximately 3.107 miles, conventionally rounded to 3.1 miles.

The 5K is one of the most popular road-racing distances because it is short enough for beginners yet still offers a meaningful challenge for experienced runners. Many community races and charity events use the format, and parkrun events around the world commonly follow a 5-kilometre course.

A common mix-up is confusing a road 5K with the 5000-metre track event. They cover the same nominal distance, but the road race is usually run outdoors on streets or paths, while the track event takes place on an athletics track. A 5K is also much shorter than a 10K, which equals about 6.2 miles.