Long-distance track event
Encyclopedia
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else. Elite long distance athletes typically train over 100 miles a week.

5000 metres

  • The 5000 metres is a premier event that requires tactics and superior aerobic conditioning. Training for such an event may consist of a total of 60–200 kilometers (37–124 miles) a week, although training regimens vary greatly. The 5000 is often a popular entry-level race for beginning runners.

The world record for men:
  • Kenenisa Bekele
    Kenenisa Bekele
    Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...

     of Ethiopia
    Ethiopia
    Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

     12:37.35 (an average of 23.76 km/h) Hengelo
    Hengelo
    Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

    , Netherlands on 31 May 2004


For women:
  • Tirunesh Dibaba
    Tirunesh Dibaba
    Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion...

     of Ethiopia
    Ethiopia
    Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

     14:11.15 (an average of 21.14 km/h) Oslo
    Oslo
    Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

    , Norway
    Norway
    Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

     on 6 June 2008

10,000 metres

  • The 10,000 metres is the longest standard track event. Most of those running such races also compete in road races
    Road running
    Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

     and cross country running
    Cross country running
    Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

     events. The world record for men:

Was set by Kenenisa Bekele in 2005. He ran a time of 26:17.53.

For women:
  • Wang Junxia
    Wang Junxia
    Wang Junxia is a Chinese former long-distance runner.-Career:Wang was coached by Ma Junren until 1995 and by Mao Dezhen from 1995 to her retirement after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics....

     of China
    People's Republic of China
    China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

     in 29:31.78 (20.47km/h), set on September 8, 1993

20,000 metres/One hour

The one hour run is an endurance race that is rarely contested, except in pursuit of world records. The 20,000 metres is also rarely contested, and all world records in the 20,000 metres have been set while in a one hour run race

Marathon

  • The marathon is typically run as a road race rather than on a track. Michael Wardian
    Michael Wardian
    Michael Wardian is an American marathoner and ultra-marathoner. He won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 US 50 km championships. In 2008, he won the U.S. National 100 km championship. Wardian also is the 2007 JFK 50 Mile winner, and won the National Marathon in Washington D.C...

     currently holds the top indoor marathon performance (2:27:21).

Other distance events

Races longer than 10,000m are rarely contested on the track, although the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 and marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 are the notable examples of longer races on the road.

Men

  • Salvatore Antibo
    Salvatore Antibo
    Salvatore Antibo is a former long distance runner from Italy.-Career:Antibo was born on February 7, 1962 in Altofonte, within the province of Palermo ....

     Winner of 5000m 10,000 double at 1990 European Championships in Athletics
    1990 European Championships in Athletics
    The 15th European Athletics Championships were held from 26 August to 2 September 1990 in Split, a city in Croatia .It was the last participation of East Germany ....

     in Split
  • Saïd Aouita
    Said Aouita
    Saïd Aouita is a former Moroccan athlete, winner of 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 5000 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, 3000 meters at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and former world record holder at 1500m , 2000m , 3000m , and twice at 5000m [ and ]...

    , was ranked among the world's best at all distances between 800 metres and 5000 m in the 1980s, a gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics
    1984 Summer Olympics
    The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

    , and like Nurmi, was the world record holder for 1500 m, 3:29.46 in 1985, and 5000 m, 13:00.40 in 1985 and 12:58.39 in 1987
  • Bernard Barmasai
    Bernard Barmasai
    Bernard Barmasai is an athlete from Kenya. He specialised in steeplechase running but is nowadays a marathoner.He set the new 3000 metres steeplechase world record of 7:55.72 on August 24, 1997 in Cologne. The record was broken by Brahim Boulami from Morocco in 2001...

    , steeplechase world record holder
  • Dieter Baumann
    Dieter Baumann
    Dieter Baumann is a former German athlete and winner of 5000 m at the 1992 Summer Olympics.Born in Blaustein, Germany , Dieter Baumann was one of the few non-African athletes who were able to seriously challenge the African dominance of middle-distance running during the 1990s...

    , gold medalist in the 5000 m at the 1992 Olympics
    1992 Summer Olympics
    The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

     in Barcelona
    Barcelona
    Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

  • Kenenisa Bekele
    Kenenisa Bekele
    Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...

    , set the current 5000 m world record of 12:37.35 at Hengelo
    Hengelo
    Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

    , Netherlands
    Netherlands
    The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

     and set the current 10,000 m world record of 26:17:53 at Brussels
    Brussels
    Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

    , Belgium
    Belgium
    Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

    , and is the gold medalist in the 10,000 m at the 2004 Olympics, 2005 World Championships, 2007 World Championships, 2008 Olympics, and 2009 World Championships. He is also the gold medalist in the 5000 m at the 2008 Olympics and 2009 World Championships.
  • Brahim Boulami
    Brahim Boulami
    Brahim Boulami is a Moroccan athlete who had set two world records in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, 7:55.28 and 7:53.17. The latter was overturned because he tested positive for the banned performance enhancing drug EPO...

    , steeplechase world record holder
  • Christopher Chataway
    Christopher Chataway
    Sir Christopher John Chataway is a British former middle- and long-distance runner, television news broadcaster, and a Conservative politician...

    , set a 5000 m world record of 13 minutes 51.6 seconds in 1954, and was a pacesetter when Roger Bannister
    Roger Bannister
    Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...

     ran the first ever sub-4 minute mile that same year
  • Ron Clarke
    Ron Clarke
    Ronald William "Ron" Clarke, MBE is a former Australian athlete, writer, and current Mayor of the Gold Coast. He is one of the best known middle and long distance runners in the 1960s, notable for setting seventeen world records.- Early life and family :He attended Melbourne High School...

    , held the 10,000 meter world record for eight years
  • Eamonn Coghlan
    Eamonn Coghlan
    Eamonn Christopher Coghlan is an Irish Senator and former athlete, who specialised in middle distance track events and the 5000 metres...

    , World 5000m champion 1983
  • Mo Farah, Winner of 5000m and 10,000m double at 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona
  • Hicham El Guerrouj
    Hicham El Guerrouj
    Hicham El Guerrouj "King of the Mile" is a Moroccan former middle distance runner...

    , double gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and the reigning world record holder for the 1,500 metres, 3:26.00, the mile 3:43.13 and 2,000 metres, 4:44.79. He also captured the World Championship 5000m silver medal in 2003 and the Olympic 5000m gold medal in 2004.
  • Haile Gebrselassie
    Haile Gebrselassie
    Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...

    , considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time, was the 1996 and 2000 Olympic gold medalist in the 10,000 m, and held the 5000 m and 10,000 m world records from 1998 until 2004 with a mark of 12:39.36 and 26:22.75 respectively (still the second best athlete of all time). As of September 2008, he holds the marathon world record at 2:03:59.
  • Volmari Iso-Hollo
    Volmari Iso-Hollo
    Volmari Fritijof Iso-Hollo was a Finnish athlete, winner of two gold medals in 3000 m steeplechase at the Olympic Games....

    , winner of 3000 m steeplechase at the 1932
    1932 Summer Olympics
    The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...

     and 1936 Summer Olympics
    1936 Summer Olympics
    The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...

  • Ben Jipcho
    Ben Jipcho
    Ben Jipcho is a former athlete from Kenya, who won the silver medal in the 3000 meters steeplechase at the 1972 Summer Olympics, behind his teammate Kipchoge Keino.Jipcho won the 5000 meters race in the 1973 All-Africa Games...

    , steeplechase world record holder
  • Kipchoge Keino
    Kipchoge Keino
    Kipchoge Keino , chairman of the Kenyan Olympic Committee , is a retired Kenyan track and field athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist...

    , the first of many great distance runners from Kenya
    Kenya
    Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

    , who won gold in at the 1968 Olympics
    1968 Summer Olympics
    The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...

     in the 1500 m and at the 1972 Olympics
    1972 Summer Olympics
    The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

     in the steeplechase
  • Wilson Boit Kipketer
    Wilson Boit Kipketer
    Wilson Boit Kipketer is a middle and long distance athlete most widely known for running the 3000 m steeplechase. On August 13, 1997, at the Weltklasse Zürich, he set the world record in the steeplechase at 7:59.08, the third of three world records set in a 70 minute period of time...

    , steeplechase world champion and world record holder
  • Moses Kiptanui
    Moses Kiptanui
    Moses Kiptanui is a middle and long distance athlete mostly famous for 3,000 m steeplechase in which he was the number one ranked athlete from 1991 to 1995 and three time IAAF World Champion...

    , thrice world champion, held two world records
  • Hannes Kolehmainen
    Hannes Kolehmainen
    Juho Pietari "Hannes" Kolehmainen was a Finnish long-distance runner. He is considered to be the first of a generation of great Finnish long distance runners, often named the "Flying Finns". Kolehmainen competed for a number of years in the United States, wearing the Winged Fist of the Irish...

    , Finnish
    Finland
    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

    , the original Flying Finn
    Flying Finn (athlete)
    "The Flying Finn" is a nickname given to several Finnish athletes. Originally, it was given to several Finnish middle and long-distance runners...

    , winner of four Olympic gold medals
  • Daniel Komen
    Daniel Komen
    Daniel Kipngetich Komen is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. Remembered for his rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie, Komen's most notable achievements came in a two-year period between 1996 and 1998, during which he broke a string of world records...

    , thus far the only human ever to run back to back sub-four minute miles running a world record 7:58.61 for two miles in 1997 and world record holder in the 3000 http://www.RunwithVon.com, as well as past world record holder in the 5000.
  • Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Won 5000 m and 10 000 m double at 1958 European Championships in Athletics
    1958 European Championships in Athletics
    The 6th European Athletics Championships were held from 19 August to 24 August 1958 in the Olympic Stadium of Stockholm, Sweden.-Men's results:-Women's results:-Medal table:-References:*...

    . Won 3,000m steeplechase at the 1960 Summer Olympics
    1960 Summer Olympics
    The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...

     two months after setting 3,000m steeplechase world record of 8.31.4.
  • Taisto Mäki
    Taisto Mäki
    Taisto Armas Mäki was a Finnish long-distance runner - one of the so-called Flying Finns. Like his coach and close friend, Paavo Nurmi, Mäki broke world records over two miles, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres - holding the records simultaneously between 1939 and 1942...

    , held the two miles, 5000 m and 10,000 m world records simultaneously for three years. The first man to run 10,000 m in under half an hour.
  • Fernando Mamede
    Fernando Mamede
    Fernando Eugénio Pacheco Mamede is a former Portuguese athlete, a long distance running specialist. He was born in Beja. Together with Carlos Lopes, he is one of the best Portuguese male long distance runners ever, and held the 10,000 metres world record with a time of 27:13.81 until bested by...

     Portuguese athlete and former world-record holder. However, he never won any top level competition
  • Billy Mills
    Billy Mills
    William Mervin Mills or "Billy" Mills, also known as Makata Taka Hela , is the second Native American to win an Olympic gold medal....

    , the only American ever to win an Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 m, at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
    1964 Summer Olympics
    The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...

  • Noureddine Morceli
    Noureddine Morceli
    Noureddine Morceli is a retired Algerian athlete, winner of the 1500 m run at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Born in Ténès, Noureddine Morceli rose to athletic prominence after winning the silver medal in the 1500 m at the World Junior Championships in 1988...

     a retired Algerian athlete, winner of the 1500 m run at the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well the gold medal in various world championships, in the 1990s, he held various world records, including 1500 m, the mile, 2000 m, and 5000 m
  • David Moorcroft
    David Moorcroft
    David Robert Moorcroft is a former middle-distance and long-distance runner from England, and former world record holder for 5,000 metres. His athletic career spanned the late-1970s and 1980s. He subsequently served as the Chief Executive of UK Athletics from 1997 to 2007. He was awarded an MBE in...

    , set the world record for 5000 m on July 7, 1982, in Oslo
    Oslo
    Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

    , at the Bislett Games
    Bislett Games
    The Bislett Games is an annual track and field event at the Bislett Stadion in Oslo, Norway. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. It is sponsored by ExxonMobil and officially known as the ExxonMobil Bislett Games.-History:The first...

     with a time of 13:00.41
  • Paavo Nurmi
    Paavo Nurmi
    Paavo Johannes Nurmi was a Finnish runner. Born in Turku, he was known as one of the "Flying Finns," a term given to him, Hannes Kolehmainen, Ville Ritola, and others for their distinction in running...

    , Finnish
    Finland
    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

    ,Regarded as the greatest track and field athlete of all time and winner of nine Olympic gold medals (despite missing 1932 games in a professional controversy over travel expenses), setting world records at distances between 1500 m and 20 km, and one of the Flying Finns
    Flying Finn (athlete)
    "The Flying Finn" is a nickname given to several Finnish athletes. Originally, it was given to several Finnish middle and long-distance runners...

  • Alan Webb
    Alan Webb (athlete)
    Alan Webb is an American athlete. He holds the American record in the mile, with a time of 3:46.91. He competes professionally for Nike.-High school:...

    , American
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

    , record holder for the American mile and the records for high school and high school sophomores.
  • Steve Prefontaine
    Steve Prefontaine
    Steve Roland "Pre" Prefontaine was an American middle and long-distance runner. Prefontaine once held the American record in the seven distance track events from the 2,000 meters to the 10,000 meters...

    , American middle- and long-distance athlete.
  • Miruts Yifter
    Miruts Yifter
    Miruts Yifter ]] is a former Ethiopian athlete, winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics. His name is also sometimes spelled as Muruse Yefter....

    , aka 'Yifter the Shifter', an Ethiopian winner of two golds at the 1980 Olympics
  • Gaston Reiff
    Gaston Reiff
    Gaston Reiff was a Belgian athlete, winner of the 1948 Olympic title in the 5,000 m.Reiff was born in Braine-l'Alleud, and competed in boxing and football before switching to running. His greatest performance is no doubt his 5000 m title at the 1948 Summer Olympics...

    , 3000 meters world record holder for five years, Olympic gold on the 1948 5000 meters
  • Ville Ritola
    Ville Ritola
    Vilho Eino Ritola was a Finnish athlete, specialised in the long distance events. In the 1920s, he won 8 Olympic medals...

    , winner of five Olympic gold medals
  • Gaston Roelants
    Gaston Roelants
    Gaston, Baron Roelants was a top steeplechaser in the early 1960s and a great cross-country runner. At the steeplechase he won the 1962 European and 1964 Olympic titles as well as setting two world records, 8 minutes 29.6 seconds in 1963 and 8 minutes 26.4 seconds in 1965.Roelants was born in...

    , Olympic gold medal winner and world record holder on the 3000 meter steeplechase
  • Henry Rono
    Henry Rono
    Henry Rono is a Kenyan former athlete.-Biography:Rono was born in Nandi Hills, Kenya, into the Nandi tribe. He started running while at primary school. Starting in 1976 he attended the Washington State University, along with his compatriot Samson Kimobwa, who broke the 10,000 meter world record in...

    , a Kenyan runner who set several world records in 1978, and again broke the 5000 meters world record in 1981
  • Paul Tergat
    Paul Tergat
    Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...

    , world record holder in the marathon 2003 - September 2007
  • Juha Väätäinen
    Juha Väätäinen
    Juha Väätäinen is a former Finnish athlete. He is the winner of the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter gold medals at the 1971 European Championships held in Helsinki. He was the eldest of the successful Finnish runners Lasse Virén, Pekka Vasala, Tapio Kantanen, Martti Vainio, and Kaarlo Maaninka who...

    , Finnish
    Finland
    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

     Won 5000 m and 10,000 m double at the 1971 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki
    Helsinki
    Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

    .
  • Lasse Virén
    Lasse Virén
    Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...

    , Finnish
    Finland
    Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

     winner of four gold medals at the 1972
    1972 Summer Olympics
    The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

     and 1976 Olympics
    1976 Summer Olympics
    The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...

  • Emil Zátopek
    Emil Zátopek
    Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...

    , winner of one silver and four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics
    1948 Summer Olympics
    The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...

     and 1952 Olympics
    1952 Summer Olympics
    The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...

     and the first to break the 29 minute barrier in the 10,000 m run, in 1954
    1954 in sports
    1954 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* NFL Championship – Cleveland Browns win 56-10 over the Detroit Lions* Ohio State Buckeyes - college football champions.-Artistic gymnastics:* 1954 World Championships...


Women

  • Wang Junxia
    Wang Junxia
    Wang Junxia is a Chinese former long-distance runner.-Career:Wang was coached by Ma Junren until 1995 and by Mao Dezhen from 1995 to her retirement after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics....

    , set 10,000 m world record of 29:31.78, the first-ever sub-30 minute performance by a woman, which broke the former record by 42 seconds. Also holds the 3,000 m world record of 8:06.11. World Champion for 10,000 m in 1993, Olympic Champion at 5000 m and silver medalist at 10,000 m at the Atlanta 1996 Games. Won numerous Asian titles at 5000m and 10,000m from 1992-1996. Only lost one 10,000 m race her entire career.
  • Paula Radcliffe
    Paula Radcliffe
    Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...

    , multiple world record holder on the roads, marathon world record holder with a 2:15.25 performance, half marathon and cross country World Champion, fifth fastest at 10,000 m.
  • Tirunesh Dibaba
    Tirunesh Dibaba
    Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion...

    , current Olympic Champion at both 5000 m and 10,000 m (the first woman to win this double). The second women to break 30 minutes after world record holder Wang Junxia
    Wang Junxia
    Wang Junxia is a Chinese former long-distance runner.-Career:Wang was coached by Ma Junren until 1995 and by Mao Dezhen from 1995 to her retirement after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics....

    .
  • Derartu Tulu
    Derartu Tulu
    Derartu Tulu is an Ethiopian long distance track, road and marathon athlete.Derartu , a member of the Oromo ethnic group, grew up tending cattle in the village of Bekoji in the highlands of Arsi Province...

    , 10,000 m gold medalist in 1992 and 2000, and the first woman from sub-Saharan Africa ever to win an Olympic gold medal
  • Meseret Defar
    Meseret Defar
    Meseret Defar is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia who competes chiefly in the 3000 metres and 5000 metres events. She has won medals at top-tier international competitions including Olympic and World Championship gold medals over 5000 metres...

    , 2004 Olympic gold medalist at 5000 m, and former world record holder
  • Ingrid Kristiansen
    Ingrid Kristiansen
    Ingrid Kristiansen née Christensen , was one of the best female long distance runners in the second half of the 1980s. She finished in fourth place in the first women's Olympic marathon race, at the 1984 Summer Olympics.-Career:Kristiansen started her career quite unremarkably, running 2:30 - 2:40...

    , world champion in the 10,000 m in 1987, she set five track world records
  • Elvan Abeylegesse
    Elvan Abeylegesse
    Elvan Abeylegesse is an Ethiopian-born Turkish middle and long distance track and field athlete, running in the disciplines of 1500 m, 3000 m and 5000 m, but also 10000 m, 2 miles and cross country...

    , former holder of the world record at 5000 m, clocking 14:24:68 in 2004
  • Zola Budd
    Zola Budd
    Zola Pieterse, better known by her maiden name of Zola Budd , is a former Olympic track and field competitor who, in less than three years, twice broke the world record in the women's 5000 metres and twice was the women's winner at the World Cross Country Championships...

    , twice broke the world record in the women's 5000 m, running barefoot
    Barefoot
    Barefoot is the state of not wearing any footwear. Being barefoot is regarded as a human's natural state, though for functional, fashion and social reasons footwear is worn, at least on some occasions...

  • Mary Decker
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    Mary Slaney is an American former track athlete. During her career, she won gold medals in the 1500 meters and 3000 meters at the 1983 World Championships, and set 17 official and unofficial world records and 36 US national records.-Biography:Mary Decker was born in Bunnvale, Hunterdon County, New...

    , set six world records in 1982, at distances ranging from the mile to 10,000 meters
  • Tegla Loroupe
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    Tegla Chepkite Loroupe is a long-distance track and road runner, and a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights, and education....

    , holds the world records in the one hour run, and for 20, 25 and 30 kilometer distances, and previously held the marathon world record
  • Sonia O'Sullivan
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    Sonia O'Sullivan in Cobh, County Cork. She began her running career in Ballymore Running Club which is located in the eastern side of Cobh Town. She was one of the world's leading female 5000 m runners for most of the 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century...

    , World Champion in 5000m in 1995, European Champion in 3000m in 1994, won double gold at the 1998 European Championships at 5000m and 10,000m. Won Long Race and Short Race double at the 1998 World Cross Country Championships. Olympic Silver medallist at 5000m in 2000.
  • Fernanda Ribeiro
    Fernanda Ribeiro
    Maria Fernanda Moreira Ribeiro, GCIH , is a long-distance runner, born in Penafiel, Portugal. She achieved the top of her career in the 1996 Summer Olympics where she won the women's 10,000 m gold medal, giving Portugal their 3rd Olympic gold , and establishing a new Olympic record - 31:01.63.-...

    , European, World and Olympic 10,000 m gold medalist in 1994, 1995 and 1996, respectively
  • Gulnara Samitova
    Gulnara Samitova
    Gulnara Iskanderovna Samitova-Galkina is a Russian middle-distance runner. In July 2004 she ran 3000 metres steeplechase in a new world record of 9:01.59. Early that year she won a bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships.Gulnara Samitova-Galkina is of mixed Tatar...

    , set 3000 m steeplechase world record, clocking 9:01.59, in 2004
  • Gabriela Szabo
    Gabriela Szabo
    Gabriela Szabo is a Romanian track and field athlete, winner of the gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics in 5000 m and winner of bronze and silver medals in 1996 Summer Olympics and 2000 Summer Olympics in 1500 m, respectively....

    , Romania
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    n who won the 2000 Olympic 5000 m gold medal in Sydney
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     in a new Olympic record time of 14:40.79

See also

  • Athletics (sport)
  • List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
  • List of Olympic medalists in athletics (women)
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