How Far is 50 km? 10 Common Comparisons

• Ever wondered just how far 50 km stretches? Whether you’re planning a road trip, training for a marathon, or simply curious about distances, understanding the scale of 50 kilometers can be both fascinating and practical.

Let’s embark on a journey to explore this distance through some eye-opening comparisons that’ll make you see 50 km in a whole new light.

The Mighty 50 km: More Than Just a Number

Before we dive into our comparisons, let’s get our bearings. 50 kilometers equals about 31 miles, 50,000 meters, or roughly 65,600 steps for the average person. It’s a distance that’s neither too short nor overwhelmingly long, making it perfect for a variety of activities and comparisons.

What is 50 km to the nearest mile? It is approximately 31.07 miles, which can help those more familiar with the imperial system visualize this distance better.

Quick Facts:

Measurement	Equivalent
50 kilometers to miles	31.07 miles
50 kilometers to meters	50,000 meters
50 kilometers to steps (average)	65,600 steps
50 kilometers to feet	164,042 feet
50 kilometers to inches	1,968,504 inches

Walking the Talk: 50 km on Foot

Imagine lacing up your shoes for a 50 km trek. How long would it take? At an average walking pace of 5 kilometers per hour, you’d be looking at about 10 hours of continuous walking. That’s quite the endurance test!

How long should it take to walk 50 km? Generally, you should expect around 10 hours if you maintain a steady pace.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Now, let’s put that into perspective:

• Calories burned: Approximately 3,000-4,000 calories (varies by individual)
• Steps taken: Around 65,600 (based on average stride length)
• Water needed: About 3-4 liters, depending on climate and individual factors
• Elevation gain: If you were to walk uphill, you’d climb the equivalent of Mount Everest in just 177 km!

Health benefits of walking 50 km:

• Improved cardiovascular health: Lowering risk of heart disease by up to 35%
• Enhanced muscle strength and endurance: Particularly in legs and core
• Boosted mental well-being: Reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression by up to 30%
• Potential weight loss: Burning up to 4,000 calories in a single journey
• Improved bone density: Reducing risk of osteoporosis
• Better sleep quality: Increasing deep sleep time by up to 40 minutes

Famous 50 km Walking Events

Believe it or not, there are events dedicated to walking this exact distance! The 50 km walk is an Olympic event, showcasing the pinnacle of human endurance and speed walking. Some notable ultra-walking events include:

1. The Swiss Alpine Marathon (includes a fifty km category): Held annually in Davos, Switzerland, with stunning mountain views
2. The Machame Route on Mount Kilimanjaro (approximately fifty km over several days): One of the most popular routes to the summit of Africa’s highest peak
3. The Nijmegen Four Days Marches: A four-day walking event in the Netherlands, with a 50 km per day option
4. The Canberra Centenary Trail: A 145 km loop around Australia’s capital, often completed in sections with 50 km being a popular single-day distance

On the Road: Driving 50 km

Now, let’s shift gears and consider driving this distance. How long would it take? Well, that depends on where you’re driving and how fast you’re going.

Road Type	Average Speed	Estimated Time
City	30-50 km/h	1-1.5 hours
Highway	100 km/h	30 minutes
Rural	60-80 km/h	40-50 minutes
Mountain	40-60 km/h	50-75 minutes

How long does it take to drive 50 km? Depending on your route and speed limits, you can expect anywhere from 30 minutes on highways to over an hour in city traffic.

Fuel Consumption for a 50 km Drive

Let’s break down the fuel consumption for different vehicle types over a 50 km journey:

• Small car (e.g., Honda Civic): ~3.5 liters (42 mpg)
• Mid-size SUV (e.g., Toyota RAV4): ~5 liters (29 mpg)
• Large truck (e.g., Ford F-150): ~7 liters (21 mpg)
• Motorcycle (e.g., Honda CBR500R): ~2.5 liters (59 mpg)
• Electric car (e.g., Tesla Model 3): ~10 kWh of electricity

Environmental Impact

A 50 km drive in an average gasoline-powered car produces about 11.5 kg of CO2 emissions. To offset this, you’d need to plant approximately 0.5 trees! Here’s how different modes of transport compare for a fifty km journey:

• Bicycle: 0 kg CO2
• Electric car (average grid mix): 2.5 kg CO2
• Bus (full): 4.5 kg CO2 per passenger
• Gasoline car (single occupant): 11.5 kg CO2
• Domestic flight: 17 kg CO2 per passenger

10 Mind-Blowing 50 km Comparisons

Now, let’s dive into some fascinating comparisons that’ll help you visualize just how far 50 km really is.

1. Nature’s Wonders

• Half the length of the Grand Canyon: The Grand Canyon stretches about 446 km, so 50 km is roughly 1/9 of its length. Imagine covering this distance and you’ve only seen a fraction of this natural marvel! The Grand Canyon took about 70 million years to form, making each kilometer a testament to 1.4 million years of geological history.
• 10 times around Central Park’s perimeter: New York’s Central Park has a perimeter of about 9.6 km. You could lap it 5 times and still have some distance to spare! Central Park receives about 42 million visitors annually, so if they were evenly spread out, you’d pass by 115,068 people during your fifty km journey around the park.

2. Iconic Landmarks

• 3/5 of the Panama Canal: The Panama Canal, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, spans 82 km. 50 km would get you most of the way across this engineering marvel. The canal saves ships a 8,000 km detour around South America. If the canal were 50 km long, it would still save ships about 7,950 km!
• 15 laps around the Colosseum in Rome: The Colosseum’s outer perimeter is about 527 meters. You could circle this ancient amphitheater 95 times in 50 km! With a capacity of 50,000-80,000 spectators, you’d pass by potentially 4.75-7.6 million ancient Romans during your journey.

3. Sporting Feats

• 1.2 times a marathon distance: A standard marathon is 42.195 km. So 50 kilometer is like running a marathon and then some! The current world record for a 50 km ultramarathon is 2:42:07 for men (set by CJ Albertson in 2021) and 3:04:24 for women (set by Des Linden in 2021).
• 500 laps in an Olympic swimming pool: An Olympic pool is 50 meters long. Swimming 50 km would be like doing 1,000 laps! The world record for swimming 50 km in open water is 9 hours, 45 minutes, and 29 seconds, set by Abhejali Bernardová in 2022.

4. Urban Landscapes

• 7 times the length of the Las Vegas Strip: The Las Vegas Strip is about 6.8 km long. You could walk its entire length 7 times and still have some distance left! With 42 million annual visitors, you’d theoretically encounter 285,714 tourists during your 50 kilometer Strip adventure.
• The distance between Manhattan and the Hamptons: This popular weekend getaway for New Yorkers is about 50 km as the crow flies. By car, it’s actually about 160 km, taking around 2-3 hours depending on traffic. The stark contrast between bustling Manhattan and the serene beaches of the Hamptons makes the 50-kilometer straight-line distance feel even more significant.

5. Historical Marvels

• 2/5 the length of Hadrian’s Wall: Hadrian’s Wall in northern England spans 117.5 km. 50 km would get you a good chunk of the way along this ancient Roman fortification. Built in 122 AD, each kilometer of the wall represents about 19 years of Roman Britain’s history.
• The distance Hannibal’s elephants traveled daily: During his famous crossing of the Alps, Hannibal’s army, including elephants, averaged about 50 km per day. This incredible feat, accomplished in 218 BC, covered a total distance of about 1,500 km from Spain to Italy.

6. Mountain Heights

• 8 times the height of Mount Kilimanjaro: Africa’s highest peak stands at 5,895 meters. Stack it 8 times, and you’ve got 50 km! Kilimanjaro is actually a dormant volcano, last erupting about 360,000 years ago. Its glaciers, however, are melting rapidly due to climate change.
• 1/6 the height of Mount Everest from sea level: Everest rises 8,848 meters above sea level. 50 km is about 1/6 of the way to the stratosphere! At 50 km above sea level, you’d be in the mesosphere, where meteors burn up and noctilucent clouds form.

7. Ocean Depths

• Half the depth of the Mariana Trench: The deepest part of the world’s oceans plunges about 11 km. 50 km is more than four times this depth! At 50 km below sea level, you’d be deep in the Earth’s crust, where temperatures reach about 1,000°C (1,832°F).
• The length of 500 blue whales lined up: The largest animal on Earth averages about 30 meters in length. Line up 1,667 of them, and you’ve got 50 km! Blue whales can weigh up to 200 tons, so this line would represent about 333,400 tons of whale – equivalent to the weight of about 55,567 adult African elephants!

8. Space Exploration

• 1/8 the diameter of the Moon: Our lunar neighbor has a diameter of about 3,474 km. 50 km would get you 1/69th of the way around its equator! On the Moon, 50 km is about the distance between the Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 landing sites.
• The distance the Mars Rover travels in about 50 days: The Curiosity rover on Mars averages about 1 km of travel per day. In its entire mission (over 3,700 sols or Martian days), Curiosity has traveled about 29 km – still less than our 50 km distance!

9. Technological Marvels

• The length of 5,000 iPhone 12s laid end-to-end: An iPhone 12 is about 146.7 mm long. Stack 340,830 of them, and you’ve got 50 km! If these were all 128GB models, they’d have a combined storage capacity of 43,626,240 GB or about 43.6 petabytes – enough to store about 8,725,248 hours of 4K video!
• The distance light travels in 0.00017 seconds: Light speed is 299,792,458 meters per second. In just a fraction of a second, light covers 50 km! This incredible speed is what allows us to communicate almost instantaneously across vast distances using fiber optic cables.

10. Everyday Objects

• The length of 625,000 pencils lined up: A standard pencil is about 19 cm long. Line up 263,158 of them, and you’ve reached 50 km! If each pencil could write a line 50 km long (which some claim they can), this many pencils could theoretically draw a line that would circle the Earth 329 times!
• The distance a snail would travel in about 42 days: Garden snails move at about 0.05 km/h. At this pace, it would take a determined snail about 1,000 hours (or 42 days) to cover fifty km! During this journey, the snail would leave behind a trail of slime containing about 20,000 proteins and peptides, some of which have potential medical applications.

Practical Applications of 50 km

Commuting: What a 50 km Commute Means

A 50-kilometer commute is significant. Here’s what it might look like:

• Driving: 30-60 minutes each way, depending on traffic and road conditions. Over a year (240 working days), this commute would cover 24,000 km – more than half the Earth’s circumference!
• Public transport: 1-2 hours each way, depending on connections and speed. This could mean spending up to 1,000 hours per year commuting.
• Cycling: 2-3 hours each way for an experienced cyclist. This level of daily exercise could burn up to 600,000 calories over a year – equivalent to about 171 pounds of body fat!

This kind of commute can have a substantial impact on work-life balance, potentially adding 2-4 hours to your workday. However, it also opens up possibilities for living in more affordable areas or accessing job opportunities in different cities.

Fitness: Training for a 50 km Ultra-marathon

Ultra-marathons are any running event longer than the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 km. A 50 km race is often considered an “entry-level” ultra. Here’s a basic 16-week training plan:

1. Weeks 1-4: Build base mileage, long runs of 20-25 km. Total weekly mileage: 60-80 km.
2. Weeks 5-8: Increase long runs to 30-35 km, add hill training. Total weekly mileage: 80-100 km.
3. Weeks 9-12: Peak mileage, long runs up to 40-45 km. Total weekly mileage: 100-120 km.
4. Weeks 13-16: Taper and recover for race day. Reduce mileage by 20-30% each week.

During this training, a runner might cover over 1,500 km – equivalent to running from New York City to Chicago!

Travel: Day Trips Within a 50 km Radius

A 50 km radius opens up numerous possibilities for day trips from major cities. For example:

• From New York City: Reach the beaches of Long Island or the hiking trails of Bear Mountain State Park. You could explore the historic Hudson Valley or visit the upscale shops in Greenwich, Connecticut.
• From London: Visit historic Windsor Castle or the charming town of St Albans. You could also reach the seaside town of Brighton or explore the beautiful countryside of the Chiltern Hills.
• From Tokyo: Explore Mount Takao or relax in the hot springs of Hakone. You could also visit the ancient city of Kamakura or enjoy the beaches of Enoshima.

A fifty km radius around these cities encompasses populations of millions, diverse landscapes, and centuries of history – all within a day’s reach!

The Future of 50 km

Electric Vehicles: Redefining 50 km Travel

Electric vehicles (EVs) are changing how we think about distance. Most modern EVs can easily cover 50 kilometers on a single charge, with many offering ranges of 300 kilometers or more. This means less range anxiety for short to medium trips.

For example:

• Tesla Model 3 Long Range: 568 km range
• Chevrolet Bolt: 416 km range
• Nissan Leaf: 364 km range

These ranges mean you could potentially commute 50 kilometers each way for a week or more without needing to recharge!

Hyperloop and Emerging Technologies: 50 km in Minutes?

Imagine covering 50 kilometers in just minutes. That’s the promise of technologies like the Hyperloop, which aims to transport passengers at speeds of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour through low-pressure tubes. At these speeds, a 50-kilometer journey could take as little as 2.5 minutes!

Other emerging technologies that could revolutionize 50-kilometer travel include:

• Flying cars: Companies like Lilium are developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that could cover 50 kilometers in about 15 minutes.
• High-speed rail: Countries like China and Japan are continuously investing in high-speed rail systems that can cover distances like 50 kilometers in mere minutes, connecting urban centers faster than ever before.

Conclusion: Seeing 50 km in a New Light

From the depths of the ocean to the heights of mountains, from ancient walls to futuristic transport, we’ve explored how far 50 km really is. This distance touches on many aspects of our world and daily lives.

Whether you’re planning a hike or considering a commute, hopefully these comparisons have given you a new appreciation for the scale of 50 kilometers. Remember that every journey begins with a single step—what will your next 50-kilometer adventure be? 

So the next time you hear “50 km,” you’ll have a wealth of comparisons to draw upon. It’s not just a number – it’s a journey, a challenge, and a window into the scale of our world.

Interactive Element: “Map Your 50 km”

Now it’s your turn! Use a mapping tool to draw a 50-kilometer radius around your location. What interesting places fall within this circle? A historic site? A natural wonder? A favorite restaurant? Share your most interesting 50-kilometer discovery in the comments below!

Remember, every 50-kilometer journey begins with a single step. What will your next 50-kilometer adventure be?