10,000 metres

The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The race consists of 25 laps around an Olympic-sized track. It is less commonly held at track and field meetings, due to its duration. The 10,000-metre track race is usually distinguished from its road running counterpart, the 10K run, by its reference to the distance in metres rather than kilometres.

Athletics 10,000 metres
10,000 metres at 2000 Summer Olympics, Sydney
World records
Men	Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) 26:11.00 (2020)
Women	Letesenbet Gidey (ETH) 29:01.03 (2021)
Olympic records
Men	Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 27:01.17 (2008)
Women	Almaz Ayana (ETH) 29:17.45 (2016)
World Championship records
Men	Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 26:46.31 (2009)
Women	Berhane Adere (ETH) 30:04.18 (2003)

The 10,000 metres is the longest standard track event, approximately equivalent to 6 miles 376 yards or 32,808 feet 5 inches. Most of those running such races also compete in road races and cross country events.

Taisto Mäki from Finland breaks the 30-minute barrier in Helsinki on 17 September 1939.

Added to the Olympic programme in 1912, athletes from Finland, nicknamed the "Flying Finns", dominated the event until the late 1940s. In the 1960s, African runners began to come to the fore.[1] In 1988, the women's competition debuted in the Olympic Games.

Official records are kept for outdoor 10,000-metre track events.[2] The world record for men is held by Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda in 26:11.00, posted at Valencia, Spain on 7 October 2020. For women, the world track 10,000-metre record is held by Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia in 29:01.03, posted at Hengelo, Netherlands on 8 June 2021.

The 10,000 metres demands exceptional levels of aerobic endurance, and elite athletes typically train in excess of 160 km (100 miles) a week.[3]