VDOT from a recent race

Enter the distance and time of a recent race. Daniels' VDOT model derives estimated VO2max, threshold pace, and E/M/T/I/R training paces.

Protocol

Enter the distance and official time of a recent race (ideally between 15 and 50 minutes, to stay within the model’s validated range). This isn’t a new test — it reuses the result of a race you’ve already run.

Formula (Daniels/Gilbert)

v = distance / time

VO2 = −4.60 + 0.182258·v + 0.000104·v²

%VO2max = 0.8 + 0.1894393·e^(−0.012778·t) + 0.2989558·e^(−0.1932605·t)

VDOT = VO2 / %VO2max

What you get

Besides VDOT (equivalent estimated VO2max) and the threshold pace (equivalent rFTPa), the result includes E/M/T/I/R training paces and race time predictions for other distances (5 km, 10 km, 21 km, 42 km), all derived from the same VDOT and labeled as estimates.

About the source

The equations come from Jack Daniels and Jimmy Gilbert’s foundational work, Oxygen Power (1979), and the training paces published in Daniels’ Running Formula (2013) — a canonical reference in running training.