In competitions, there are separate competitions in long-distance running. What these distances are, their features, as well as how the athletes who overcome them are called, will be discussed in this article.
What is a long distance runner called?
A long-distance athlete is called a “stayer”.
Etymology of the word "stayer"
The word “stayer” itself is translated from English as “hardy”. In general, runners are not limited to running.
She also excels in other sports, for example:
- cycling,
- speed skating and others.
Stayer distances are distances from three thousand meters and more.
Athletes in certain distance running disciplines may also be referred to in narrower terms, for example: half marathon runner, marathon runner, or ultramarathon runner.
Since an athlete can take part in races of different lengths or compete in non-running sports, many also understand under the name “stayer”, first of all, one of the athlete's predispositions.
Stayer distances
Description of long distances
As already mentioned, long, "stayer" distances are traditionally called those distances that start at two miles (or 3218 meters). Sometimes a distance of three kilometers is referred to here. In addition, this also includes an hour-long run that takes place in stadiums.
Meanwhile, according to some reports, the concept of "long distance running" or "stayer run" traditionally does not include half marathons, marathons, that is, competitions where the distances, although long, are not held at the stadium, but on the highway.
Distances
As stated, long distance running is a series of track and field running disciplines that take place in a stadium.
In particular, this includes:
- 2 miles (3218 meters)
- 5 kilometers (5000 meters)
- 10 kilometers (10,000 m)
- 15 kilometers (15,000 meters at the stadium),
- 20 kilometers (20,000 meters),
- 25 kilometers (25,000 meters),
- 30 kilometers (30,000 meters),
- an hour running in the stadium.
The classic and most prestigious among them are:
- distance of 5,000 meters,
- distance of 10,000 meters.
They are part of the program of the World Championships in Athletics and the Olympic Games and are held mainly during the summer. Sometimes 5,000 meter runners have to compete under a roof.
The result in an hour run is determined by the distance that the runner ran along the track of the stadium for one hour.
Distance races are conducted in a circle using a high start. In this case, athletes run along a common track.
For the last lap before the finish line, each runner hears a bell from the judge: this helps not to lose count.
An exception is the hour run. All competitors start at the same time, and after one hour the signal to stop running sounds. After that, the judges mark on the track where which participant is standing. This is determined by the back leg. As a result, the one who ran a long distance in an hour becomes the winner.
It must be said that distance races are rarely used in commercial competitions: they last for a long time and, as a rule, are not very spectacular, except perhaps before the finish.
Records
Distance 5,000 meters
Among men, the world record for this distance, as well as the world record for indoor and the Olympic record, belong to the same person: a runner from Ethiopia Kenenis Bekele.
So, he set a world record on May 31, 2004 in Hengelo (Netherlands), covering the distance in 12: 37.35.
The World (Indoor) was staged by an Ethiopian athlete on 20 February 2004 in the UK. The runner covered 5000 meters in 12: 49.60.
Olympic record (12: 57.82) Kenenis Bekele set on August 23, 2008 at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Ethiopian holds world record for 5,000 (14: 11.15) womene Tirunesh Dibaba... She staged it on June 6, 2008 in Oslo, Norway.
The indoor world record was set by her compatriot Genzebe Dibaba on February 19, 2015 in Stockholm, Sweden.
But Gabriela Sabo from Romania became the Olympic champion at a distance of 5000 meters. On September 25, 2000, at the Sydney Olympics (Australia), she covered this distance in 14: 40.79.
Distance 10,000 meters
The world record for men at this distance belongs to the athlete from Ethiopia Kenenis Bekele. On August 26, 2005 in Brussels (Belgium) he ran 10,000 meters in 26.17.53
And among women this distance for 29.17.45 was overcome by the Ethiopian Almaz Ayana. It happened on August 12, 2016 at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
10 kilometers (highway)
Among men, the record for 10 kilometers on the highway belongs to Leonard Komon from Kenya. He ran this distance in 26.44. This happened on September 29, 2010 in the Netherlands.
Among women, the record belongs to the British Radcliffe Field... She ran 10 kilometers on the highway in 30.21. This happened on February 23, 2003 in San Juan (Puerto Rico).
Hour run
The world record in hourly running is 21,285 meters. It was put by a famous athlete Haile Gebreselassie. Among Russians, the record belongs to Albert Ivanov, which in 1995 ran 19,595 meters in an hour.
Interesting facts about staying distances and stayers
At the moment, the world record in hourly running is 21,285 meters. This is just over the half marathon distance (it is 21,097 meters). It turns out that the world record holder in the hour running, Haile Gebreselassie, completed the half marathon in 59 minutes 28 seconds.
At the same time, the world record in the half marathon, which belongs to the Kenyan Samuel Wanjir, is almost a minute less: it is 58 minutes 33 seconds.
Some joke: Kenyan natives often win in long-distance running, because this country has a road sign "beware of the lions".
In fact, the dominance of the representatives of this country in long-distance running is explained by the following:
- long workouts,
- cardiovascular features: Kenyans live 10,000 feet above sea level.
Endurance is essential to winning long-distance running. It is produced through prolonged training. So, a runner can run up to two hundred kilometers a week in preparation for a competition.
