--- description: I'm not great at math (stay in school, kids!), perhaps because I never liked it much. But this is a good use of math. title: Here’s How Far Mario Travels in Super Mario Bros. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb7d8413d79ebf6bb/69868a451eebf731e0370596/mario.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's How Far Mario Travels in Super Mario Bros. by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 4:03 PM CUT  James Coldrey / Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 4:03 PM CUT I’m not great at math (stay in school, kids!), perhaps because I never liked it much. But this is a good use of math. Nick Greene [over at Mental Floss](http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56120/how-far-does-mario-have-run-and-swim-super-mario-bros "undefined") fielded one of the most pressing and important reader questions we’ll ever grapple with in our lifetimes: How far does Mario travel in Super Mario Bros.? Greene calculated Mario’s steps based on a stance-width of 26 inches – a little more than shoulder-width apart — and assumed that Mario would be the small, pre-mushroom Mario. The final tally: * 3.4 miles, assuming no visits to bonus areas or warp zones * 1218.5 feet swimming (about 7.5 laps in an Olympic-sized pool) * 3.7 miles, assuming visits to bonus areas * Another 344 feet swimming, assuming visits to underwater bonus areas Kind of puts your entire childhood into perspective, no? I would have guessed dozens and dozens of miles, but we’re actually dealing with a moderately-paced, hour-long treadmill workout. Granted, the treadmill workout is one without jumping, consuming shape-shifting mushrooms, spitting fireballs and trying to avoid being killed by various animals. I bet Mario burns more calories than we think. He’s still a bit on the pudgy side, but don’t forget that he subsists almost entirely on pizza. [How Far Does Mario Have to Run (and Swim) in Super Mario Bros.?](http://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56120/how-far-does-mario-have-run-and-swim-super-mario-bros "undefined") \[Mental Floss\] MORE: The History of Video Game Consoles – Full ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/59591/heres-how-far-mario-travels-in-super-mario-bros/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/59591/heres-how-far-mario-travels-in-super-mario-bros/"},"headline":"Here's How Far Mario Travels in Super Mario Bros.","datePublished":"2014-04-11T16:03:54.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:01:57.053Z","description":"I'm not great at math (stay in school, kids!), perhaps because I never liked it much. 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