Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking.
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least 3 kilometres (1.8 miles). Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
This list is a chronological progression of record times for the marathon. World records in the marathon are now ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
Zersenay Tadese is an Eritrean long-distance track and road running athlete. He held the men's half marathon world record from 2010 to 2018. His bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics made him the first ever Eritrean Olympic medallist, and his 20-km title at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships also made him the country's first athlete to win at a world championship event. He does not use a sprint finish to win races; his strategy relies on a combination of efficient running and fast pace setting.
Mountain running is a sports discipline which takes place mainly off-road in mountainous terrain, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, surfaced roads may be used. In this it differs from fell running; also its courses are more clearly marked and avoid dangerous sections. It is a form of trail running if it is run on unpaved surfaces. Mountain running is a combination of running, jogging, and walking, depending on how steep the trail is.
Eliud Kipchoge EGH is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly the 5000 metres. He is the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39, set on 16 September 2018, at the 2018 Berlin Marathon. His run broke the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds. Described as "the greatest marathoner of the modern era", Kipchoge has won 12 of the 13 marathons he has entered.
Andrew Lemoncello is a Scottish long distance runner who competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase and the marathon events. He won a team junior gold medal at the 2001 European Cross Country Championships and won a scholarship to attend Florida State University in 2004. At Florida State he was second in the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the steeplechase.
Samson Kiflemariam Gashazghi is an Eritrean long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 metres, cross-country running, but as mountain runner he won 2010 World Mountain Running Championships.
Andrea Mayr is a female long-distance runner from Austria. She also competes in mountain running and cycling. She set her personal best (2:30:43) in the women's marathon on April 19, 2009, winning the Vienna City Marathon. She holds the Austrian records over the half marathon and marathon distances.
Bat-Ochiryn "Ziggy" Ser-Od is a Mongolian long-distance runner who competes in road races, particularly the marathon. He represented his country in the marathon at the Summer Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012 where he also was flagbearer. A member of the Morpeth Harriers running club, he divides his time between his native country and Gateshead in England.
The World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, is an annual international mountain running competition organised by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA).
Ahmet Arslan is a long-distance runner from Turkey competing in mountain running. He is a six time successive champion of European Mountain Running Championships.
The 2012 World Mountain Running Championships were held on 2 September in Val Camonica in the Italian Alps. The course ran from Temù - Ponte di Legno to Tonale Pass. It was the 28th edition of the championships, organised by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), and the seventh time that Italy had hosted the competition. The competition featured four races, with senior and junior (under-19) races for both men and women. A total of 343 runners from a record high of 40 nations finished the competition.
The WMRA World Cup is an annual series of mountain running competitions organised by the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) that runs from around May to October. Athletes are awarded points for each performance on the tour. Its predecessor was the Alpine Grand Prix, a 1997 formation including four European races in the Alps region. It formally became the WMRA Grand Prix in 1999 and subsequently expanded to six races in 2001. It reverted to four races in 2007 and from 2008 onwards began to vary between five and seven races. The competition took its current title World Cup in 2014.
Tadesse Abraham is an Eritrea-born Swiss long distance runner who specialises in the marathon.
Sinead Diver is an Irish-born Australian long-distance runner. She competed in the marathon event at both the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing and the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London.
Andrew Pearson is a British long-distance runner who mainly had success in cross country running. He made eight appearances at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and was an individual and team bronze medallist at the 1995 European Cross Country Championships. He also won silver medals at the European Mountain Running Championships in 1998.
Daneja Grandovec is a Slovenian long-distance runner. She competes in marathons, steeplechase and mountain running.
Geoffrey Kipkorir Kirui is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in cross country running competitions, track and road races up to the marathon.
Matilde Ravizza is a former Italian female mountain runner and long-distance runner who won a medal at individual senior level at the World Mountain Running Championships.
