10K run

Athletics 10K run
Men's records
World	Leonard Patrick Komon (KEN) 26:44 (2010)
Women's records
World	Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 30:04+ (2017)

The mass public race at the 2012 London 10000 race

Amateur runners completing the very large 2006 Peachtree Road Race

The 10K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of ten kilometres (6.2 miles). Also referred to as the 10K road race, 10 km, or simply 10K, it is one of the most common types of road running event, alongside the shorter 5K and longer half marathon and marathon. It is usually distinguished from the 10,000 metres track running event by stating the distance in kilometres, rather than metres.

As one of the shortest common road distances, many 10K races attract high levels of public participation. Among the largest 10K races, the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, United States had over 55,000 participants in 2011 while the Vancouver Sun Run and Bolder Boulder both had close to 50,000 runners.^[1][2][3] The popularity of 10K races lies in the fact that, for most adults, the 10K distance is long enough to represent a challenge but short enough to remain accessible for an untrained runner.^[4][5]

Most popular 10K races are an annual fixture in a city or area and typically incorporate an element of charity running, where participants raise funds for a cause based upon their completion of the course. Members of the public may take part in the races as a competition or simply for pleasure as a fun run. Some races also allow wheelchair racers to enter. Traditional New Year's Day races in Europe (Silvesterläuf) are often held over 10K.

The accessibility of the distance, and road running in general, has meant that local governments and health charities often form partnerships with races as a way of promoting physical fitness among the general public.^[6] Medical organisations, fitness groups, drinks manufacturers and sportswear companies are typical commercial sponsors of 10K events.^[7][8]

The 10-kilometre metric distance has been used for road running events for a large portion of the modern era of athletics – the Běchovice–Praha race is one of the longest-running events over the distance, having first been held in 1897.^[9][10] In Western countries using imperial measurements, the 6-mile run (9.7 km) was once more prevalent, but many long-running events (such as the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Race and Saltwell Road Race) have adapted their courses to match the metric distance.^[11]

Professional 10K running

At the professional level, there are many races which offer significant prize money to athletes who achieve a high finishing position in the race. At the highest level, annual prize money can total over US$100,000 at races such as the World's Best 10K, Peachtree Road Race, and World 10K Bangalore.^[12][13]

Mo Farah, Micah Kogo and Chris Thompson in the elite men's race at the London 10000 in 2010

The 10K road distance has never featured on the event programmes of the Athletics at the Summer Olympics or the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. However, it did briefly have its own individual championship for women in the form of the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships, which was contested over ten kilometres in 1983 and 1984.^[14] As a result, the highest level 10K road competitions occur at individual races run by race promoters, who attract elite international level runners through prize money and appearance fees. These types of races are held in all parts of the world, but the highest calibre races are mainly concentrated in the United States, Canada, Europe and East Asia.

The world records for the 10K road distance are 26:44 minutes for men (Leonard Patrick Komon, 2010) and 30:21 minutes for women (Paula Radcliffe, 2003).^[15][16] Performances over ten kilometres on the roads were not recognised as world records by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until 2003 and instead the fastest times were referred to as "world bests". This changed in August 2003 when the IAAF Congress approved world record status for a number of specified road distances, including the 10 km.^[17]

As with other forms of professional long-distance running, East African athletes have been dominant in the 10K distance since the 1990s. As of April 2013, all ten of the fastest male 10K runners are East African (nine of them Kenyan), while seven of the top ten female runners are Kenyan.^[15][16]

Area records

• World records are in bold. Correct as of October 2016.^[18][19]

Area	Men				Women
	Time	Athlete	Nation		Time	Athlete	Nation
Africa	26:44	Leonard Komon	Kenya		30:24	Violah Jepchumba	Kenya
Asia	27:57	Nicholas Kemboi	Qatar		30:52	Kayoko Fukushi	Japan
Europe	27:34	Nick Rose	United Kingdom		30:21	Paula Radcliffe	United Kingdom
North, Central America and Caribbean	27:23	Mark Nenow	United States		30:52	Shalane Flanagan	United States
Oceania	27:28	Zane Robertson	Australia		31:17	Benita Willis	Australia
South America	27:48	Marilson dos Santos	Brazil		32:06	Carmem de Oliveira	Brazil

All-time Top 25

These are the runners with the fastest personal bests.

Men

• Correct as of April 2017.^[15]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Race	Place	Ref
1	26:44	Leonard Patrick Komon	Kenya	26 September 2010	Singelloop Utrecht	Utrecht
2	27:01	Micah Kipkemboi Kogo	Kenya	29 March 2009	Parelloop	Brunssum
3	27:02	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia	11 December 2002	QSI 10k Road Race	Doha	[20]
4	27:04	Joseph Kimani	Kenya	4 July 1996	Peachtree Road Race	Atlanta
	27:04	Josphat Kiprono Menjo	Kenya	18 April 2010	Cursa de Bombers	Barcelona
6	27:09	Peter Kamais Lotagor	Kenya	6 September 2009	Tilburg 10K	Tilburg
7	27:11	Sammy Kipketer	Kenya	30 March 2002	Crescent City Classic	New Orleans
	27:11	Sammy Kirop Kitwara	Kenya	26 September 2010	Singelloop Utrecht	Utrecht
9	27:15+	James Mwangi Wangari	Kenya	18 September 2016	Copenhagen Half Marathon	Copenhagen
10	27:18	Bernard Kimeli	Kenya	15 April 2017	Osterlauf	Paderborn	[21]
11	27:19	Moses Ndiema Masai	Kenya	28 February 2010	World's Best 10K	San Juan
	27:19	Geoffrey Kiprono Mutai	Kenya	26 June 2011	Boston 10K	Boston
13	27:22	Martin Irungu Mathathi	Kenya	28 March 2010	Parelloop	Brunssum
		Joseph Ebuya		24 October 2010	Great South Run	Portsmouth
15	27:23	Mark Nenow	United States	1 April 1984	Crescent City Classic	New Orleans
		Samuel Tsegay	Eritrea	18 September 2011	Dam tot Damloop	Zaandam
17	27:24	William Sigei	Kenya	16 April 1994	Crescent City Classic	New Orleans
		Zersenay Tadese	Eritrea	20 May 2007	Great Manchester Run	Manchester
		Deriba Merga	Ethiopia	23 May 2009	Ottawa Race Weekend	Ottawa
20	27:25	Kaan Kigen Özbilen	Kenya	10 October 2010	Grand 10 Berlin	Berlin
		Stephen Sambu	Kenya	22 June 2014	Boston 10K	Boston
22	27:26	Abraham Chebii	Kenya	24 March 2001	Azalea Trail Run	Mobile
23	27:27	Simon Rono	Kenya	11 April 1998	Crescent City Classic	New Orleans
	27:27+	Samuel Kamau Wanjiru	Kenya	17 March 2007	AA Drink 10K	Den Haag
		Francis Kibiwott Larabal	Kenya	1 April 2007	Berlin Half Marathon	Berlin
		Eshetu Wendimu	Ethiopia	1 April 2007	Berlin Half Marathon	Berlin
		Patrick Makau Musyoki	Kenya	1 April 2007	Berlin Half Marathon	Berlin

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 27:10:

• Micah Kipkemboi Kogo also ran 27:07 (2007).
• Leonard Patrick Komon also ran 27:10 (2009).

Women

• Correct as of April 2017.^[16]

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Race	Place	Ref
1	30:04+	Joyciline Jepkosgei	Kenya	1 April 2017	Prague Half Marathon	Prague	[22]
2	30:05+	Violah Jepchumba	Kenya	1 April 2017	Prague Half Marathon	Prague	[23]
3	30:21	Paula Radcliffe	United Kingdom	23 February 2003	World's Best 10K	San Juan
4	30:27	Isabella Ochichi	Kenya	26 March 2005	Crescent City Classic	New Orleans
		Caroline Kimosop	Kenya	14 May 2016	Apuana Trail	Uberlândia
6	30:29	Asmae Leghzaoui	Morocco	8 June 2002	New York Mini 10K	New York City
7	30:30	Tirunesh Dibaba	Ethiopia	1 September 2013	Tilburg 10K	Tilburg
8	30:32	Lornah Kiplagat	Kenya	4 July 2002	Peachtree Road Race	Atlanta
9	30:34+	Worknesh Degefa	Kenya	2 April 2016	Prague Half Marathon	Prague
10	30:37	Joyce Chepkirui	Kenya	13 October 2013	Grand 10 Berlin	Berlin
11	30:38	Tadelech Bekele	Ethiopia	13 October 2013	Grand 10 Berlin	Berlin
12	30:39	Liz McColgan	United Kingdom	11 March 1989	Red Lobster Classic	Orlando
13	30:41	Gladys Chesir Kiptagelai	Kenya	11 October 2015	Grand 10 Berlin	Berlin
14	30:45	Lineth Chepkurui	Kenya	3 April 2010	Crescent City Classic	New Orleans
	30:45+	Mary Jepkosgei Keitany	Kenya	18 February 2011	Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon	Ras al-Khaimah
	30:45			6 August 2016	Beach to Beacon 10K	Cape Elizabeth
16	30:46	Betsy Saina	Kenya	7 September 2014	Tilburg 10K	Tilburg
17	30:47	Vivian Jepkemoi Cheruiyot	Kenya	26 February 2012	World's Best 10K	San Juan
18	30:48	Linet Chepkwemoi Masai	Kenya	12 June 2010	New York Mini 10K	New York City
19	30:52	Helen Kimaiyo Chepchirchir	Kenya	4 July 1996	Peachtree Road Race	Atlanta
		Shalane Flanagan	United States	26 June 2016	Boston 10K	Boston
	30:52+	Kayoko Fukushi	Japan	5 February 2006	Marugame Half Marathon	Marugame
22	30:55	Peres Jepchirchir	Kenya	5 September 2015	Prague Grand Prix	Prague
23	30:56	Gladys Cherono Kiprono	Kenya	23 May 2015	Ottawa Race Weekend	Ottawa
	30.56+	Fancy Chemutai	Kenya	1 April 2017	Prague Half Marathon	Prague
25	30:57	Elvan Abeylegesse	Turkey	14 May 2006		Istanbul
		Irina Mikitenko	Germany	13 September 2008		Karlsruhe
		Pascalia Chepkorir Kipkoech	Kenya	20 May 2012		Santos

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 30:38:

• Violah Jepchumba also ran 30:24 (2016), 30:29+ (2016).
• Paula Radcliffe also ran 30:38 (2002).
• Joyce Chepkirui also ran 30:38 (2011).

References