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06 Numbers and Powers

Pax Game Demos After the Show: What Happens

Card No. 06·12168 · Updated · Standard formula, shown below

Average pace 5.00 min/km
Average speed
12.00 km/h
Result
Finish time
50 min
You entered
Distance
10 km
You entered
You enter
Finish time, Distance
You get
Average pace, Average speed
Rounding
2 dp

When a PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) show ends, the game demos on the show floor don’t just vanish into a void. What happens to them depends entirely on who made the game, what stage of development it’s in, and what the developer wants to achieve next. In short, most demos are either deleted, updated for a future show, or repurposed for press and public consumption—but the specific path each demo takes is more varied than you might expect.

Formula

The average pace is the finish time divided by the distance covered:

Pace (min/km) = Finish Time (min) ÷ Distance (km)

Average speed is the distance divided by the time in hours:

Speed (km/h) = Distance (km) ÷ (Finish Time (min) ÷ 60)

Variables: t = total finish time in minutes, d = distance in kilometers. The pace tells you how many minutes each kilometer took; the speed tells you how many kilometers you covered in one hour.

Worked Example

Using the default values from the calculator: you finish a 10 km run in 50 minutes.

  1. Pace = 50 ÷ 10 = 5.00 min/km
  2. Speed = 10 ÷ (50 ÷ 60) = 10 ÷ 0.8333 = 12.00 km/h

So your average pace is 5 minutes per kilometer and your average speed is 12 kilometers per hour.

Why This Calculation Matters

Runners use pace to plan race strategies, set training targets, and compare efforts across different distances. Speed is more intuitive for cyclists and drivers, but pace is the standard in running because it scales linearly with effort. Knowing both lets you communicate your performance in the unit your audience understands.

How to Read the Result

A lower pace (e.g., 4:30 min/km) means faster running; a higher pace (e.g., 6:00 min/km) means slower. Speed works inversely: higher km/h means faster. For a given distance, pace and speed are reciprocal—if you double your speed, your pace halves. The calculator gives both so you don’t have to convert manually.

Common Mistakes

  • Using seconds instead of minutes: always convert to minutes first (e.g., 3:30 = 3.5 min).
  • Mixing units: if your distance is in miles, convert to kilometers (1 mile = 1.60934 km) or use min/mile pace.
  • Rounding too early: keep at least two decimals during intermediate steps, then round the final answer.
  • Forgetting that speed is distance per hour, not per minute.

Limitations of the Formula

This is an average calculation—it assumes a constant pace. Real runs have hills, stops, and varying effort, so your instantaneous pace fluctuates. The formula also doesn’t account for elevation gain, weather, or fatigue. For interval training or hilly routes, use a GPS watch that tracks pace in real time rather than a single average.

When to Use This Calculator

Use it after any run or bike ride where you know the total time and distance. It’s also handy for planning: if you want to finish a half marathon (21.1 km) in 2 hours, enter 120 minutes and 21.1 km to see what pace you need to hold. For treadmill workouts, the machine usually shows speed, but you can convert to pace to compare with outdoor runs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is min/km or km/h more common? Runners generally use min/km (or min/mile) because it’s easier to check during a run. Cyclists and drivers use km/h. Both are valid; use whichever your training plan references.

How do I convert pace to speed? Divide 60 by the pace in minutes. For example, 5 min/km → 60 ÷ 5 = 12 km/h. To go the other way, divide 60 by the speed: 12 km/h → 60 ÷ 12 = 5 min/km.

What if I run on a treadmill at 8 km/h? Your pace is 60 ÷ 8 = 7.5 min/km, or 7:30 per kilometer. Most treadmills show speed, so this conversion helps you compare with outdoor runs.

Does this work for walking or cycling? Yes, as long as you have time and distance. Walking pace is usually slower (e.g., 12 min/km), and cycling speed is higher (e.g., 25 km/h). The math is identical.

Why does my GPS watch show a different pace? GPS watches calculate pace from instantaneous position changes, which include hills and turns. They also use current pace (last few seconds) versus average pace (entire run). This calculator gives the true average over the whole distance.

Related

Formula used
in t | Finish time | min | 50 | 0
in d | Distance | km | 10 | 0 | 100000
out pace | Average pace | min/km | t / d | 2
out speed | Average speed | km/h | d / (t / 60) | 2

Each line is one input (in, sel, list) or one result (out: label, unit, formula, decimals). How the calculators work

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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