| Events at the 1997 World Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| | ||
| Track events | ||
| 100 m | men | women |
| 200 m | men | women |
| 400 m | men | women |
| 800 m | men | women |
| 1500 m | men | women |
| 5000 m | men | women |
| 10,000 m | men | women |
| 100 m hurdles | women | |
| 110 m hurdles | men | |
| 400 m hurdles | men | women |
| 3000 m steeplechase | men | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | men | women |
| 4 × 400 m relay | men | women |
| Road events | ||
| Marathon | men | women |
| 10 km walk | women | |
| 20 km walk | men | |
| 50 km walk | men | |
| Field events | ||
| High jump | men | women |
| Pole vault | men | |
| Long jump | men | women |
| Triple jump | men | women |
| Shot put | men | women |
| Discus throw | men | women |
| Hammer throw | men | |
| Javelin throw | men | women |
| Combined events | ||
| Heptathlon | women | |
| Decathlon | men | |
The men's marathon at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics was held in Athens, Greece, on Sunday August 10, 1997.
| Gold | Abel Antón |
| Silver | Martín Fiz |
| Bronze | Steve Moneghetti |
| Standing records prior to the 1997 World Athletics Championships | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World record | Belayneh Densamo | 2:06:50 | April 17, 1988 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |
| Championships record | Robert de Castella | 2:10:03 | August 14, 1983 | Helsinki, Finland | |
| Season best | Domingos Castro | 2:07:51 | April 20, 1997 | Rotterdam, Netherlands | |