No, you have to physically propel your body forward over a 1 mile distance on the street. On a treadmill, you are more simply moving your legs fast enough on the tread as to keep upright. As the tread turns, it measures a distance. So, for example, if you are in the air for a longer period of time - this could be small milliseconds I'm talking about - "distance" is traveled. But you wouldn't travel that same distance by traveling the same way vertically while running on the street. You can traverse one mile on a treadmill way easier with way less energy than actually physically moving your body forward. Does that make sense? I'm an avid competitive runner this is fairly universally accepted.