How Many Swimming Laps are in One Mile?
August 20, 2024
How many lengths of a swimming pool make up a mile? Swimming a mile is a significant achievement! But exactly how many laps are in a mile? The answer depends on two key factors: how you define a mile and the length of your pool.
Use Our Calculations and Get Back to Training
The quick answer is:
A mile on a standard track is equal to 1,600 meters, which requires four laps. Each lap around the track is 400 meters, so to cover the full distance of a mile, you would complete four laps. This calculation assumes a standard track where each straightaway measures 100 meters, making the total distance per lap 400 meters.
- 100 meters = one straightaway
- 400 meters = about ¼ mile = one lap
- 800 meters = about ½ mile = 2 laps
- 1600 meters = about 1 mile = 4 laps
- To swim 1650 yards in a pool measuring 25 yards, you would need to complete 66 lengths of the pool.
- In a pool measuring 50 yards, you would need to complete 33 lengths.
- You can use the same calculation for a 25-meter pool (66 lengths to swim 1650 meters, or 33 lengths for a 50-meter pool).
| Definition of a mile (in yards or meters) |
# of laps in a 25-yard or 25-meter pool | # of laps in a 50-yard or 50-meter pool |
| 1500 | 60 | 30 |
| 1650 | 66 | 33 |
| 1760 | 70.4 | 35.2 |
In short, you divide one mile by the length of your pool. But, as usual, the details matter. Let’s break down the equation: one mile / pool length = # of laps in a mile.
What is a mile, exactly? It’s a simple question with a surprisingly complex answer. The definition of a mile can vary depending on the context. Here’s what different groups might tell you:
- Ask a scientist: Technically, a mile equals 1760 yards or 1609.3 meters.
- Ask an open water swimmer: In open water, a mile is a mile. If you want to swim an exact mile and your pool is measured in yards, divide 1760 by the number of yards in your pool. If your pool is measured in meters, divide 1609.3 by the pool length.
- Ask a pool swimmer about training: For training, most competitive swimmers and coaches consider a mile to be 1650 meters or yards. Interestingly, competitive swimmers also often refer to 1650 yards as a mile, even though it’s technically 90 yards short of a true mile.
- Ask a pool swimmer about a meet: In competitive swimming, the “mile” event is either 1500 meters or 1650 yards, depending on whether the pool is measured in meters or yards.
If you’re training for the “mile” event in a meet, it’s common to use 1650 as your mile-marker, regardless of whether your training pool is in yards or meters. This way, you’ll have the endurance to complete the race.
After defining what you mean by “a mile” (likely 1650 meters or yards), you need to determine the length of your pool. This is as straightforward as it sounds.
Most lap pools are 25 yards, 25 meters, or 50 meters long. Less common are 50-yard pools.
There are also some unique lengths, like 33.3 meters, which can be tricky to calculate. If you’re unsure, ask an employee at your local pool or look it up in our pool locator.
If you’re measuring your backyard pool, here’s a simple method: Get a friend and a long, water-friendly tape measure. One person should hold the 0-inch mark against the pool wall, while the other pulls the tape to the opposite end and notes the measurement.
Once you know your pool length, you can easily calculate how many laps make up a mile.
A 50-meter pool built before the invention of touch-pads is no longer 50 meters long when the touch-pads are installed. Records set in these “short” pools cannot count as official records.
Before a major international competition, organizers discovered that with touch-pads in the water, the pool was 1 cm short of 50 meters. With hundreds of swimmers arriving in days, the facility drained the pool, shaved 1 cm off the wall, re-plastered, and refilled the pool, just in time. The result? Over 100 new world records were set that week.
Now that you’ve defined a mile and measured your pool, plug your numbers into this formula. Just ensure the units match: if your pool is measured in yards, use yards for the mile (1760 or 1650).
(Your definition of a mile) / (pool length) = (# of laps needed to swim a mile)
Traditionally, a “lap” is two lengths of the pool: down and back. This makes sense linguistically—when you “lap” someone, you swim two lengths to catch up. However, most people today use “laps” to mean “lengths.” For simplicity, the chart above uses the “one lap equals one length” definition.
If you have a training watch designed for swimming, you can pair it with the swim.com app to track your laps and calculate your distance automatically.
