According to Runners World, one of the most common reasons people turn to the sport: to boost physical and mental health. In fact, three out of four runners say staying healthy and in shape is a primary motivation for lacing up.

For many people, “staying healthy and in shape” translates to burning calories and keeping weight in check, and running is a top activity for revving your heart rate and blasting calories. But just how many calories do you burn running one mile?

Intensity and weight aren’t the only variables that can alter how many calories you burn running a mile, though. “Running mechanics play a big role in caloric expenditure—different aspects such as ground contact time, vertical motion, and muscular strength have a significant effect on the amount of calories that are burned or energy that is expended in terms of oxygen consumption,” Grace Horan, MS, ACSM-EP, exercise physiologist at HSS explained. 

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