3000 metres explained
| Event: | 3000 metres |
| Image Upright: | 1.15 |
The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track.
It is debated whether the 3000 m should be classified as a middle-distance or long-distance event.[1] In elite-level competition, 3000 m pace is more comparable to the pace found in the longer 5000 metres event, rather than mile pace. The men's world record performance for 3000 m equates to a pace of 58.34 seconds per 400 m, which is closer to the 60.43 seconds for 5000 m than the 55.46 seconds for the mile. However, the 3000 m does require some anaerobic conditioning, and an elite athlete needs to develop a high tolerance to lactic acid, as does the mile runner. Thus, the 3000 m demands a balance of aerobic endurance needed for the 5000 m and lactic acid tolerance needed for the mile.
In men's athletics, 3000 metres has been an Olympic discipline only as a team race at the 1912, 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. It has not been contested at any of the IAAF outdoor championships, but it is occasionally hosted at annual elite track and field meetings. It is often featured in indoor track and field programmes and is the longest-distance event present at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
In women's athletics, 3000 metres was a standard event in the Olympic Games (1984 to 1992)[2] and World Championships (1980 to 1993).[3] The event was discontinued at World Championship and Olympic level after the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, with Qu Yunxia being the final gold medal winner at the event. Starting with the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 1996 Olympic Games, it was replaced by 5000 metres, with other IAAF-organized championships following suit.
Skilled runners in this event reach speeds near vVO2max, for which the oxygen requirements of the body cannot continuously be satisfied,[4] requiring some anaerobic effort.
Records
World records
- Updated 25 August 2024. Source: World Athletics[5]
Short track world records
- Updated 8 February 2025. Source: World Athletics
Continental records
- Updated 25 May 2025. Source: World Athletics[6]
- Sh = Short Track
All-time top 25
See main article: 3000 metres world record progression.
| Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" – the top 25 3000 m times and the top 25 athletes: |
| - denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 3000 m times |
| - denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 3000 m times, by repeat athletes |
| - denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 3000 m times | |
Outdoor men
- Correct as of August 2024.[7] [8]
Notes
Outdoor women
- Correct as of August 2025.[19]
Indoor men
- Correct as of January 2026.[29]
Indoor women
- Correct as of February 2025.[40]
Medalists
Men's World Indoor Championships medalists
Women's World Indoor Championships medalists
- Known as the World Indoor Games
Season's bests
Men (outdoor)
Men (indoor)
Women (outdoor)
Women (indoor)
External links
See also
Notes and references
Notes and References
- https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/40966/athletics/29763/Middle-distance-running Middle-distance running
- https://web.archive.org/web/20200417040742/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/sports/ATH/womens-3000-metres.html Women's 3000 metres at the Olympic Games
- http://www.gbrathletics.com/ic/wc.htm World Championships in Athletics
- Billat . Véronique L. . J. Pierre Koralsztein . Significance of the Velocity at VO2max and Time to Exhaustion at this Velocity . Sports Med. . August 1996 . 22 . 2 . 90–108 . 10.2165/00007256-199622020-00004 . 8857705 . 27 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120321201539/http://www.insermu902.com/attachments/018_11.1996-Billat-significance%20of%20velocity%20at%20vo2max-SportMed.pdf . 21 March 2012 .
- Web site: Stats World Athletics World Athletics . 2024-09-05 . worldathletics.org.
- Web site: Stats World Athletics World Athletics . 2024-09-05 . worldathletics.org .
- Web site: All-time men's best 3000 m . World Athletics . 10 August 2022 . 10 August 2022 .
- Web site: All-time men's best 3000 m . alltime-athletics.com . 17 September 2020 . 29 September 2020 .
- Web site: Ingebrigtsen and Duplantis break world records in Silesia REPORT World Athletics . 2024-08-26 . worldathletics.org.
- Web site: Tsegay smashes world 5000 m record and Duplantis breaks world pole vault record in Eugene REPORT World Athletics . 2023-09-18 . worldathletics.org .
- Web site: Jon Mulkeen . 9 June 2023 . Kipyegon, Girma and Ingebrigtsen make history in Paris . 10 June 2023 . World Athletics.
- Web site: 9 June 2023 . Two Miles Run – Race Analysis . 10 June 2023 . sportresult.com . 10 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230610080200/https://livecache.sportresult.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/PARIS2023/PDF_ATHM2MILES--ADDITIONALFNL-000100--_C77A.PDF?h=oHUo2MxufC5kog48BgTjigZZKW8= . dead .
- Web site: 3000 m Results . sportresult.com . 10 August 2022 . 23 August 2022 . 23 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220823202755/http://static.sportresult.com/sports/at/data/2022/monaco/re0160040.pdf . dead .
- Web site: Ceh, Girma and Richardson break meeting records in Doha REPORT World Athletics . 2023-05-05 . worldathletics.org .
- News: Jess Whittington . 1 July 2021 . Warholm breaks world 400 m hurdles record with 46.70 in Oslo . World Athletics . 15 July 2021 .
- Web site: Nicole Jeffery . 17 September 2020 . Duplantis scales 6.15 m in Rome, world's highest ever outdoor vault . 29 September 2020 . World Athletics .
- Web site: 13 July 2021 . 3000 m Result . 22 July 2021 . sportresult.com . 30 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210730001139/http://static.sportresult.com/sports/at/data/2021/london/re0160040.pdf . dead .
- Web site: 3000 m Result . swisstiming.com . 20 July 2024 . 20 July 2024 .
- Web site: All-time women's best 3000 m . iaaf.org . 1 July 2019 . 1 July 2019 .
- Web site: 3000 m Results . swisstiming.com . 16 August 2025 .
- Web site: 25 May 2025 . Chebet storms to second on world 3000 m all-time list with 8:11.56 in Rabat . 25 May 2025 . .
- News: Brian Russell . 1 July 2019 . Hassan takes historic 3000 m victory in Stanford – IAAF Diamond League . IAAF . 20 July 2019 .
- Web site: 28 August 2021 . 2021 Meeting de Paris – 3000 m Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20210910183053/http://static.sportresult.com/sports/at/data/2021/paris/re1160040.pdf . dead . 10 September 2021 . 10 September 2021 . sportresult.com .
- Web site: 28 August 2021 . 2021 Meeting de Paris – 3000 m Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20210910183053/http://static.sportresult.com/sports/at/data/2021/paris/re1160040.pdf . dead . 10 September 2021 . 10 September 2021 . sportresult.com .
- Web site: 22 August 2024 . Results 3000 m Women . https://web.archive.org/web/20240825131741/https://ps-cache.web.swisstiming.com/node/binaryData/ATH_PROD/LAUSANNE_2024/PDF_ATHW3000M---DIAMOND---FNL-000100--_C73C1.PDF?h=1cD9GqfDP5MkqKkV8G2uU0QP54A= . 25 August 2024 . 25 August 2024 . .
- Web site: 28 August 2021 . 2021 Meeting de Paris – 3000 m Results . https://web.archive.org/web/20210910183053/http://static.sportresult.com/sports/at/data/2021/paris/re1160040.pdf . dead . 10 September 2021 . 10 September 2021 . sportresult.com .
- Web site: 14 June 2015 . 3000 m Results . 14 June 2015 . IAAF .
- News: Jon Mulkeen . 25 September 2020 . Obiri and McSweyn victorious in Doha as Wanda Diamond League draws to a close . World Athletics . 1 October 2020 .
- Web site: All-time men's best 3000 m indoor . IAAF . 12 May 2020 . 12 May 2020 .
- Web site: 8 February 2025 . Nuguse and Fisher break world indoor records in New York . 9 February 2025 . .
- Web site: Girma breaks world indoor 3000 m record with 7:23.81 in Lievin REPORTS World Athletics . 2023-02-16 . worldathletics.org.
- News: Jon Mulkeen . 9 February 2021 . Tsegay breaks world indoor 1500 m record in Lievin with 3:53.09 . 13 February 2021 . World Athletics .
- Web site: 6 February 2024 . 3000 m Result . 6 February 2024 . copernicus.domtel-sport.pl .
- News: Jess Whittington . 28 January 2021 . Aregawi and Duplantis put on a show in Karlsruhe . 29 January 2022 . World Athletics .
- Web site: 24 January 2026 . New Balance Indoor Grand Prix – Men's 3000 Metres Short Track Results . 25 January 2025 . worldathletics.org.
- Web site: Henderson . Jason . 2025-02-02 . George Mills breaks Josh Kerr's UK 3000 m record with 7:27.92 . 2025-02-02 . AW . en-GB .
- News: Marley Dickinson . 27 January 2023 . Yared Nuguse smashes American indoor 3000 m record . 28 January 2023 .
- Web site: 13 February 2025 . Ingebrigtsen smashes world indoor 1500 m and mile records in Lievin . 15 February 2025 . .
- Web site: Track Scoreboard . 2025-03-03 . live.lancertiming.com.
- Web site: All-time women's best 3000 m indoor . World Athletics. 6 February 2024 .
- Web site: Tsegay threatens world indoor 3000 m record, as tour titles are won in Birmingham REPORT World Athletics . 2023-02-25 . www.worldathletics.org.
- Web site: 2 March 2024 . 3000 m Final Results . 2 March 2024 . World Athletics .
- Web site: 2 March 2024 . 3000 m Final Results . 2 March 2024 . World Athletics .
- News: Jon Mulkeen . 17 February 2022 . Ingebrigtsen breaks world indoor 1500 m record in Lievin . 18 February 2022 . World Athletics .
- Web site: 2 March 2024 . 3000 m Final Results . 2 March 2024 . World Athletics .
- Web site: Hodgkinson smashes world short track 800m record in Liévin with 1:54.87 REPORTS World Athletics . 2026-02-20 . worldathletics.org.
- News: Karen Rosen . 12 February 2023 . Nuguse breaks North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games . 17 February 2023 . World Athletics .
- News: Taylor Dutch . 28 February 2020 . Karissa Schweizer Shatters the 3000-Meter American Record in Boston . 1 March 2020 . Runner's World.
- Web site: Hodgkinson smashes world short track 800m record in Liévin with 1:54.87 REPORTS World Athletics . 2026-02-20 . worldathletics.org.
- News: 4 February 2017 . Laura Muir smashes European 3000 m record in Karlsruhe . 4 February 2017 . athleticsweekly.com .
- Web site: Hodgkinson smashes world short track 800m record in Liévin with 1:54.87 REPORTS World Athletics . 2026-02-20 . worldathletics.org.
- Web site: 4 February 2024 . Bol beats 50 seconds for 400 m and breaks national 200 m record in Metz . 6 February 2024 . World Athletics .
- Web site: 2 February 2025 . Hoey, Courtney-Bryant and Coscoran win distance duels in Boston . 3 February 2025 . .
