How stride length affects step count
Stride length is the distance covered in two steps — left foot to left foot. Walking stride varies with height, speed, and individual biomechanics. Taller people have longer legs and take longer strides; at the same pace a 6 ft person covers the same mile in fewer steps than a 5 ft person. The relationship is well described by simple proportionality: walking stride ≈ 0.413 × height, brisk walk ≈ 0.45 × height, running ≈ 0.55 × height (all in cm).
Pace matters as much as height. At a brisk pace you lengthen your stride; at running pace your stride lengthens further. A 175 cm person walking at moderate pace takes roughly 2,200 steps per mile, but at a brisk walk closer to 2,000, and running fewer than 1,700. These differences compound across longer distances — a 10-mile run and a 10-mile walk will differ by thousands of steps in the totals.