20,000 metres


The 20,000 metres is a rarely contested long-distance running event in track and field competitions; most world records in the event have been set during half marathons and one-hour races, as a half marathon is roughly 21,000 meters.

World Records

+ = indicates a time was taken at an intermediate distance in a longer race

Men

EventResultAthleteNationalityDatePlaceMeetingCitation
20,000 m 56:26.0 +Haile GebrselassieETH27 Jun 2007OstravaGolden Spike Ostrava
20 km 55:21 +Zersenay TadeseERI21 Mar 2010LisbonLisbon Half Marathon

Women

EventResultAthleteNationalityDatePlaceMeetingCitation
20,000 m 1:05:26.6Tegla LoroupeKEN3 Sep 2000Borgholzhausen
20 km 1:01:25 +Joyciline JepkosgeiCZE1 Apr 2017PraguePrague Half Marathon

In popular culture

Tegla Loroupe's 20,000 meter world record was mentioned in Chapter 1, problem 64P of Chemistry by John E. McMurry, Robert C. Fay, and Jill Kirsten Robinson.