10K run


The 10K run is a long-distance road running competition over a distance of. 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. 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.
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. Public members may participate 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 are often held over 10K, including the San Silvestre Vallecana in Spain.
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. Medical organisations, fitness groups, drinks manufacturers and sportswear companies are typical commercial sponsors of 10K events.
The 10-kilometre metric distance has been used for road running events for a large portion of the modern era of athletics – the Běchovice–Prague race is one of the longest-running events over the distance, having first been held in 1897. In Western countries using imperial measurements, the 6-mile run was once more prevalent, but many long-running events have adapted their courses to match the metric distance.

Professional 10K running

At the professional level, many races 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, Apryle Showers Run - Florida's Fastest 10K, and World 10K Bangalore.
File:2010 BUPA London 10k.jpg|thumb|left|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 been featured on the event programmes of the Athletics at the Summer Olympics or the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. However, it briefly had its own individual championship for women in the form of the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships, contested over ten kilometres in 1983 and 1984. 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 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 26:24 minutes for men and 29:43 minutes for women. Performances over ten kilometres on the roads were not recognised as world records by the International Association of Athletics Federations until 2003. 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.
As with other forms of professional long-distance running, East African athletes have been dominant in the 10K distance since the 1990s. As of January 2020, all ten of the fastest male 10K runners are East African, while nine of the top ten female runners are Kenyan.

Area records

  • ''World records are in bold. Correct as of January 2025.''

    All-time top 25

Men

  • Correct as of October 2025
RankTimeAthleteNationDateRacePlaceRef
–26:24Rhonex KiprutoKenya12 January 202010K Valencia IbercajaValencia
126:31Yomif KejelchaEthiopia16 February 202510K Facsa CastellónCastellón de la Plana
226:33Berihu AregawiEthiopia11 March 202310km Villa de LaredoLaredo
326:38Joshua CheptegeiUganda1 December 201910K Valencia Trinidad AlfonsoValencia
426:44Leonard Patrick KomonKenya26 September 2010Singelloop UtrechtUtrecht
526:45Andreas AlmgrenSweden11 January 202610K Valencia IbercajaValencia
626:48Jacob KiplimoUganda14 January 202410K Valencia IbercajaValencia
726:49Sabastian SaweKenya29 April 2023Adizero Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach
826:50Kibiwott KandieKenya30 April 2022Adizero Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach
926:51Nicholas KimeliKenya25 September 2022Brașov Running FestivalBrașov
1026:54Dominic Lokinyomo LobaluSwitzerland12 January 202510K Valencia IbercajaValencia
1026:54Birhanu BalewBahrain26 April 2025Adizero: Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach
1026:54Gemechu DidaEthiopia26 April 2025Adizero: Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach
1026:54Rodrigue KwizeraBurundi26 April 2025Adizero: Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach
1026:54Khairi BejigaEthiopia5 October 2025Brașov Running FestivalBrașov
1526:55Weldon LangatKenya25 September 2022Brașov Running FestivalBrașov
1526:55Weldon LangatKenya15 January 202310K Valencia IbercajaValencia
1526:55Isaac Kibet NdiemaKenya25 September 2022Brașov Running FestivalBrașov
1526:55Vincent Kibet LangatKenya12 January 202510K Valencia IbercajaValencia
1526:55Maxime ChaumetonSouth Africa5 October 2025Brașov Running FestivalBrașov
1926:56Tadese WorkuEthiopia12 September 2021Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach
1926:56Hicham AmgharMorocco7 April 2023NAS Sports Tournament 10KDubai
2026:57Felix KipkoechKenya3 October 2021The Giants GenevaGeneva
2026:57Charles Kipkurui LangatKenya15 January 202310K Valencia IbercajaValencia
2226:58Daniel Simiu EbenyoKenya9 January 202210K Valencia IbercajaValencia
2226:58Kuma GirmaEthiopia16 February 202510K Facsa CastellónCastellón de la Plana
2426:59Peter Mwaniki AilaKenya14 January 202410K Valencia IbercajaValencia
2527:00Yasin HajiEthiopia20 March 202210 km de LilleLille
2527:00Yasin HajiEthiopia30 April 2022Adizero Road to RecordsHerzogenaurach

Annulled marks

The following athletes had their performance annulled due to doping offences:
  • Rhonex Kipruto also ran 26:43, 26:46, 26:58.

    Other bests en route or on aided road course equal or superior to 27:00

  • Correct as of February 2022.
  • + = en route to longer performance
  • a = aided road course according to IAAF rule 260.28
TimeAthleteNationDateRacePlaceRef
26:32 Berihu AregawiEthiopia31 December 2024San Silvestre VallecanaMadrid
26:32 Jacob KiplimoUganda31 December 2024San Silvestre VallecanaMadrid
26:41 Jacob KiplimoUganda31 December 2018San Silvestre VallecanaMadrid
26:54 Eliud KipchogeKenya31 December 2006San Silvestre VallecanaMadrid
26:54 Zersenay TadeseEritrea31 December 2006San Silvestre VallecanaMadrid
26:54 Abadi HadisEthiopia31 December 2018San Silvestre VallecanaMadrid