5K run

This article is about road racing. For track racing, see 5000 metres.

The 5K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of five kilometres (3.107 mi). Also referred to as the 5K road race, 5 km, or simply 5K, it is the shortest of the most common road running distances. It is usually distinguished from the 5000 metres track running event by stating the distance in kilometres, rather than metres.

Athletics 5K run
Runners during a 5k Parkrun in Cannon Hill Park, United Kingdom
World records
Men	Berihu Aregawi 12:49 (2021)
Women	Senbere Teferi 14:29Wo (2021) Ejgayehu Taye 14:19Mx+ (2021)

Among road running events, the 5K distance is mostly popular with novice or infrequent runners or joggers, as it is comparatively easier to complete the distance without endurance training. The 5K distance also makes the distance suitable for people looking to improve or maintain their general physical fitness, rather than develop long-distance running abilities. The brevity of the distance means that less time is required to take part in the activity and that people from a wide range of ages and abilities may participate. From a physiological perspective, five kilometres is towards the low end of endurance running.^[1][2]

The combination of the activity's simplicity, its low cost, and medium exercise intensity mean that it is often recommended by medical organisations and healthcare professionals.^[3][4][5] Like all physical activity, regular 5K runs can improve cardiovascular function and reduce body fat, as well as having mental health benefits (see runner's high).^[6]

Events

Similar to other road running events, many organised 5K running events incorporate an element of charity running.^[2] Runners may elect to raise money for a chosen charity on the condition of their completion of the race.^[7] Raising money for charity is typically optional, with other participants running for pleasure. The 5K distance is particularly popular among women and a number of annual women-only races are organised over the 5K distance. Running USA's 2012 analysis of participation in American road races showed that 58% of participants in 5K races were women. The race participation contrasts with women's participation in sport in general and in longer distance races particularly, where the same report showed the gender bias was reversed.^[8][9]

The Hot Chocolate 5K in Chicago and the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run in Miami are the largest organised 5K runs in the United States, having attracted over 20,000 and over 16,000 runners, respectively, in 2012. The number of runners ranked the Hot Chocolate 5K as the 20th largest road running event of any distance in the United States that year.^[10] There are several prominent 5K race series, including The Color Run, an international, mass participation, city-based series involving coloured water showers,^[11] and the parkrun series, which is a worldwide network of free-to-enter, volunteer-led races occurring each weekend, originating in the United Kingdom.^[12]

Unlike longer road races, such as the 10K run and marathon, the 5K distance is not commonly contested by elite distance runners. The Carlsbad 5000 is one of the few races that attract competitive elite fields and has seen several world bests for the distance (prior to the IAAF's 2018 decision to begin recognising world records for the 5K).^[13][14] The IAAF, now World Athletics did not go back to recognise the world best performances set at Carlsbad, which left a dilemma of known superior performances at Carlsbad and inferior world records that will last until the performances at Carlsbad are recognised or surpassed.

Another annual American race, Freihofer's Run for Women, also regularly has elite women competing in the road distance,^[15] as does the BOClassic in Italy.^[16] Elite racing almost exclusively takes place on the track for this distance.

There is no official world championship event organised for the 5 km road distance. Championships over 5 km are held nationally in some areas, including the United States and England.^[17][18] An annual North American 5K Championships was created in 2002, but the competition ceased after 2005.^[19][20]

Records

Main article: 5K run world record progression

The 5 km road distance was introduced by IAAF as a world record event in November 2017, with the inaugural record to be recognised after 1 January 2018 if the performances were equal to or better than 13:10 for men and 14:45 for women.^[21] Other statistical organisations, including the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, record best times for the event.^[22] Records for the 5K are often noted in national records in athletics.

All-time top 25

• + = en route to longer performance

Men

• Correct as of May 2022.

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Race	Place	Ref
1	12:49	Berihu Aregawi	Ethiopia	31 December 2021	Cursa dels Nassos	Barcelona	^[23]
2	12:51	Joshua Cheptegei	Uganda	16 February 2020	Monaco Run 5K	Monaco	^[24]
3	12:53	Yomif Kejelcha	Ethiopia	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[25]
4	12:55	Nicholas Kimeli	Kenya	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[26]
5	13:00	Sammy Kipketer	Kenya	26 March 2000	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
				1 April 2001	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
6	13:02	Levy Kibet	Kenya	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[27]
7	13:06	Jacob Krop	Kenya	12 September 2021	Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[28]
8	13:07	Birhanu Balew	Bahrain	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[29]
9	13:09	Muktar Edris	Ethiopia	12 September 2021	Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[30]
10	13:10	Dejene Berhanu	Ethiopia	3 April 2005	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
11	13:11	Dejen Gebremeskel	Ethiopia	3 April 2011	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
		Eliud Kipchoge	Kenya	11 April 2010	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
		Telahun Haile Bekele	Ethiopia	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[31]
14	13:12	Addisu Yihune	Ethiopia	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[32]
15	13:13	Hosea Kiplangat	Uganda	12 September 2021	Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[33]
16	13:14	Hagos Gebrhiwet	Ethiopia	1 April 2012	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
		Yemaneberhan Crippa	Italy	30 April 2022	Adizero Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[34]
18	13:15	Abreham Cherkos	Ethiopia	9 April 2006	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
19	13:16	Simon Ndirangu	Kenya	30 March 2013		Westfield
		Tariku Bekele	Ethiopia	1 April 2012	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
		Paul Koech	Kenya	29 March 1998	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
22	13:17	Bethwell Birgen	Kenya	14 February 2021	5 km Herculis	Monaco	^[35]
		Oscar Chelimo	Uganda	31 December 2020	BOclassic	Bolzano	^[36]
24	13:18	Armando Quintanilla	Mexico	31 March 1996	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
		Jimmy Gressier	France	16 February 2020	Monaco Run 5km	Monaco	^[37]
	13:18+	Rhonex Kipruto	Kenya	12 January 2020	10k Valencia Ibercaja	Valencia	^[38]

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 13:18:

• Berihu Aregawi also ran 12:52 (2021).
• Joshua Cheptegei also ran 13:13 (2021).

Women

• Correct as of September 2022.

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Race	Place	Ref
1	14:19 Mx	Ejgayehu Taye	Ethiopia	31 December 2021	Cursa dels Nassos	Barcelona	^[39]
2	14:28+ Mx	Yalemzerf Yehualaw	Ethiopia	27 February 2022	Castellón 10K	Castellón de la Plana	^[40]
3	14:29 Wo	Senbere Teferi	Ethiopia	12 September 2021	Road to Records	Herzogenaurach	^[41]
4	14:32+	Joyciline Jepkosgei	Kenya	9 September 2017	Birell Prague Grand Prix	Prague	^[42]
5	14:38+ Mx	Degitu Azemiraw	Ethiopia	31 December 2021	San Silvestre Vallecana	Madrid	^[43]
		Edinah Jebitok	Kenya	31 December 2021	San Silvestre Vallecana	Madrid	^[44]
7	14:39 Mx	Dawit Seyaum	Ethiopia	6 November 2021	Urban Trail Lille event	Lille	^[45]
—	14:39 Mx ^[a]	Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal	Norway	1 May 2021		Sør-Odal	^[46]
8	14:41 Mx ^[b]	Beth Potter	Great Britain	3 April 2021	Podium 5k Sub-15.30	Barroford	^[47]^[48]
9	14:42 Mx	Norah Jeruto	Kenya	6 November 2021	Urban Trail Lille event	Lille	^[49]
10	14:43 Mx	Beatrice Chepkoech	Kenya	14 February 2021	5 km Herculis	Monaco	^[50]
11	14:44	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	17 February 2019	5km Herculis	Monaco	^[51]
	14:44+ Mx	Vicoty Chepngeno	Kenya	27 February 2022	Castellón 10K	Castellón de la Plana	^[52]
13	14:45+	Fancy Chemutai	Kenya	9 September 2017	Birell Prague Grand Prix	Prague
	14:45 Mx	Eilish McColgan	Great Britain	24 April 2022	Meta : Time : Trials	Malaga	^[53]
15	14:46	Meseret Defar	Ethiopia	9 April 2006	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
	14:46+	Violah Jepchumba	Kenya	10 September 2016	Prague Half Marathon	Prague
		Sheila Chepkirui	Kenya	7 September 2019	Prague Grand Prix	Prague	^[54]
		Dorcas Kimeli	Kenya	7 September 2019	Prague Grand Prix	Prague	^[55]
	14:46+ Mx	Kalkidan Gezahegne	Bahrain	3 October 2021	The Giants Geneva	Geneva	^[56]
20	14:47	Lornah Kiplagat	Netherlands	28 March 2004	Parelloop	Brunssum
21	14:48	Genzebe Dibaba	Ethiopia	29 March 2015	Carlsbad 5000	Carlsbad
		Kim Smith	New Zealand	30 March 2013		Westfield
	14:48+	Paula Radcliffe	Great Britain	23 February 2003		San Juan
	14:48+ Mx	Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi	Kenya	3 October 2021	10K Valencia Ibercaja	Valencia	^[57]
25	14:49+ Mx	Jesca Chelangat	Kenya	3 September 2022	Prague Grand Prix	Prague	^[58]

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 14:49:

• Ejgayehu Taye also ran 14:21 Mx (2022).

• Senbere Teferi also ran 14:37 (2022), 14:49 Wo (2022).
• Yalemzerf Yehualaw also ran 14:44+ Mx (2022).
• Norah Jeruto also ran 14:46+ (2019) and 14:48+ (2021).
• Eilish McColgan also ran 14:48 Wo (2022).

Notes

1. uncertified course
2. Unratificable by World Athletics because no drug test after race.

References

1. Wolfe-Bieler, Kristen (2007-06-08). Run Your First 5-K. Runner's World. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
2. Liberman, Art; Brown, Randy; Myers, Eileen (January 18, 2012). The Everything Running Book: The Ultimate Guide to Injury-free Running for Fitness and Competition. Adams Media. p. 194. ISBN 9781440529719.
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4. 5K Fun Run 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. Diabetes.co.uk. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
5. 5K run: 7-week training schedule for beginners. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
6. running with Couch to 5K. National Health Service. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
7. Race for Life 2014-01-15 at the Wayback Machine. Cancer Research UK. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
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11. About. The Color Run. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
12. Philips, Mitch (2010-05-21). Grass-roots support pushes Parkrun to new heights. Reuters. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
13. Defar runs fastest ever women's 5km in Carlsbad. IAAF (2006-04-10). Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
14. Third win in a row for Gebremeskel, Burka makes Ethiopian double in Carlsbad. IAAF (2013-04-08). Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
15. Chebet beats the heat to set course record in Albany 5K. IAAF (2010-06-06). Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
16. Sampaolo, Diego (2012-01-01). Soi and Cheruiyot take thrillers in Bolzano. IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-01-02.
17. Records, Rankings, and Lists. USA Track and Field. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
18. English 5k Road Championship 2009-11-20 at the Wayback Machine. England Athletics (2010-07-12). Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
19. North AMerican 5 Kilometres Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
20. 2005 North American 5 km Team Challenge. USATF. Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
21. "Summary of key changes to IAAF Competition Rules, as of June 2018". IAAF. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
22. World Best Progressions- Road. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2013-12-21). Retrieved on 2014-01-18.
23. "Taye and Aregawi break world 5km records in Barcelona". World Athletics. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
24. "Cheptegei breaks world 5km record in Monaco". World Athletics. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
25. "Kejelcha and Kandie victorious in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
26. "Kejelcha and Kandie victorious in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
27. "Kejelcha and Kandie victorious in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
28. Phil Minshull (12 September 2021). "Tirop and Teferi smash world records in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
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32. "Kejelcha and Kandie victorious in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
33. Phil Minshull (12 September 2021). "Tirop and Teferi smash world records in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
34. "Crippa breaks European 5km record with 13:14 in Herzogenaurach". European Athletics. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
35. Bob Ramsak (14 February 2021). "14:43! Chepkoech breaks world 5km record in Monaco". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
36. "Jagd auf Europarekord bei BOclassic missglückt knapp". runaustria.at (in German). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
37. "Cheptegei breaks world 5km record in Monaco". World Athletics. 16 February 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
38. Valiente, Emeterio (12 January 2020). "Kipruto breaks world 10km record in Valencia". World Athletics. World Athletics. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
39. "Taye and Aregawi break world 5km records in Barcelona". World Athletics. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
40. "Yehualaw smashes world 10km record with 29:14 in Castellon". World Athletics. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
41. Phil Minshull (12 September 2021). "Tirop and Teferi smash world records in Herzogenaurach". World Athletics. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
42. Bob Ramsak (9 September 2017). "Jepkosgei smashes world 10km record in Prague". IAAF. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
43. Diego Sampaolo (1 January 2022). "Azimeraw and Katir end year on a high in Madrid". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
44. Diego Sampaolo (1 January 2022). "Azimeraw and Katir end year on a high in Madrid". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
45. "Seyaum breaks world 5km record in Lille". World Athletics. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
46. Yasmin Sunde Hoel; Malin Jørnholt (1 May 2021). "Grøvdal med tidenes raskeste løp, men får trolig ikke verdensrekord: – Utrolig dårlig" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
47. Sean Ingle (4 April 2021). "No drug testers means Beth Potter's 5km record run likely to be chalked off". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
48. Jason Henderson (3 April 2021). "Beth Potter beats world record time at Podium 5km". athleticsweekly.com. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
49. "Seyaum breaks world 5km record in Lille". World Athletics. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
50. Bob Ramsak (14 February 2021). "14:43! Chepkoech breaks world 5km record in Monaco". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
51. Nicole Jeffery (17 February 2019). "Wanders and Hassan set world 5km records in Monaco". IAAF. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
52. "2022 Castellón 10k Results". chiplevante.com. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
53. "Yehualaw runs 2:17:23 in Hamburg for fastest ever women's marathon debut". World Athletics. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
54. Bob Ramsak (8 September 2019). "Weekend road round-up: Chepkirui and Kimeli break 30 minutes at Prague 10k, Kosgei dominates Great North Run". IAAF. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
55. Bob Ramsak (8 September 2019). "Weekend road round-up: Chepkirui and Kimeli break 30 minutes at Prague 10k, Kosgei dominates Great North Run". IAAF. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
56. "Gezahegne breaks world 10km record in Geneva, Chelimo goes sub-30 in Valencia, Kumela breaks Kosice course record". World Athletics. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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List of world bests

• World Best Progressions- Road. Association of Road Racing Statisticians (2013-12-21). Retrieved on 2014-01-18.

External links

• 5K run training from About.com