The longer the race, the more endurance is needed. The middle-distance events, in this discussion, range from 800 to 2,000 meters. Some authorities regard the 3,000-meter race as middle-distance.

Middle-distance runners usually are able to perform well at either the shorter or the longer distances. Racing tactics, including pacing, are more important at these than at any other distances. Even though it is no longer a championship event, the mile is still a glamor event. The first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes—Roger Bannister of England in 1954—captured world attention. A “sub-four” is still a notable time, even though it is now routinely accomplished by the world’s top runners. Other great middle-distance runners include Paavo Nurmi (Finland), who won both the 1,500 (the metric “mile”) and 5,000 meters on the same day in the 1924 Olympics; Sebastian Coe (U.K.), who won two Olympic gold medals at 1,500 meters and two silver at 800 meters; Noureddine Morceli (Algeria), who won two world championships and an Olympic gold medal in the 1,500 meters; and Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco), who set outdoor and indoor world records in the 1,500 meters and the mile. Two Soviet women created memorable middle-distance records. Tatyana Kazankina won five world records, while Lyudmila Bragina established eight. Mary Decker Slaney (U.S.) also won consistently at the middle distances.

Long-distance running

There is some difference of opinion over the dividing line between middle-distance and long-distance runs. The long-distance events considered here are those ranging from 3,000 meters upward; they include the marathon, steeplechase, cross-country, and road runs. Speed becomes an even less important factor in the longer runs, pace and endurance correspondingly more so. The longer the run, the less likely the burst of speed known as the “finishing kick” at the end of the race.

Runners may also overlap the long- and middle-distance events. Nurmi, Gunder Hägg (Sweden), and Said Aouita (Morocco) all set world records at both 1,500 and 5,000 meters. Nurmi won at all distances longer than 1,000 meters except the marathon. Distance runners provide the most prolific record setters, including Nurmi, Ron Clarke (Australia), Kip Keino (Kenya), Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), and Emil Zátopek (Czechoslovakia), the last of whom performed the remarkable feat of winning the marathon and the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races at the 1952 Olympic Games. The longer races for women have been slow to develop, but a number of runners have been able to compete at various distances, including Ingrid Kristiansen (Norway).

The steeplechase combines long-distance running with hurdling, each runner being required to clear seven water jumps and 28 hurdles in a 3,000-meter course. Although hurdling is an important aspect of the event, by far the greatest need is the ability to run the distance. Steeplechase competitors are often specialists, but there are examples of fine distance runners who have successfully overcome more experienced hurdlers. Henry Rono (Kenya), one of the most successful at the steeplechase, also held world records at 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 meters.

The marathon was a key event at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, and it has become a major attraction of the Olympics and other international contests. The women’s marathon was added to the Olympic program in 1984. The race originally commemorated the feat of a Greek soldier who in 490 bce supposedly ran from Marathon to Athens to bring news of the Greek victory over the Persians. At 26.22 miles (42,195 meters) the marathon is the longest race of the track meet. Abebe Bikila (Ethiopia), Hannes Kolehmainen (Finland), and Zátopek were two of the more memorable marathoners of the 20th century. East African runners have dominated in the event in the 21st century, most notably Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya).