Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to two miles. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1500 m came about as a result of running 3+3⁄4 laps of a 400 m outdoor track or 7+1⁄2 laps of a 200 m indoor track, which were commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century.
Svetlana Aleksandrovna Masterkova is a Russian former middle-distance runner and former women's world record holder for the mile and the current 1000 metres world record. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in both the 800 metres and 1500 metres.
Maria Cioncan was a middle distance runner from Romania, best known for winning a bronze medal in the 1500 metres event at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Gulnara Iskanderovna Samitova-Galkina is a Russian distance runner. In July 2004 she ran 3000 metres steeplechase in a new world record of 9:01.59 minutes. Early that year she won a bronze medal over 1500 metres at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Lidia Chojecka-Leandro is a retired Polish middle- and long-distance runner who mainly competed in the 1500 metres and 3000 metres. She won bronze medals in the 1500 m at the 1997 and 1999 World Indoor Championships, and for the 3000 m at the 2006 World Indoor Championships. Chojecka is a six-time European Indoor Championships medallist in the 1500 m and 3000 m events, earning three golds and three silvers. She took the double at the 2007 European Indoor Championships, becoming the first runner, male or female, to win both events at the same championships. She had been one of the most consistent middle-distance runners in Europe throughout the 1990s, and finished fifth and sixth in back-to-back Olympic 1500 m finals in 2000 and 2004.
Yelena Vladimirovna Soboleva is a Russian former middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 metres.
Hind Dehiba Chahyd is a Moroccan-French runner who specializes in the 1500 metres.
Nataliya Viktorivna Tobias is a female former middle-distance runner from Ukraine, who specialized in the 1500 metres. She holds personal bests of 4:01.78 minutes for the 1500 m, 2:02.31 minutes for the 800 metres, and 8:51.32 minutes for the 3000 metres.
Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the silver medallist in the 5000 metres at the World Championships in Athletics in both 2009 and 2011. She also won medals over the distance at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics, the 2007 All-Africa Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Kirsty Margaret Wade is a British former middle-distance runner. She is a three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist representing Wales, winning the 800 metres in Brisbane 1982 and both the 800 metres and 1500 metres in Edinburgh 1986. She represented Great Britain at the 1988 Olympic Games and the 1992 Olympic Games.
Tatyana Borisova is a Kyrgyzstani middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. She represented her country at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she ran in the qualifiers of the 1500 m.
Alisa Harvey is a middle distance runner from the United States. She set her personal best in the women's 1,500 meters 4:08.32 on June 26, 1992, at the US Olympic Trials in New Orleans and in the 800 meters 1:59.72 in 1995. She was ranked in the U.S. top ten in the 1500 meters 8 years in a row from 1986 to 1993, achieving number 1 in 1993. After taking 1994 off for maternity, she returned to the list in 1998 and 1999. She also made the U.S. list in the 800 metres six times between 1988 and 1996. In 1998 she became the 24th American woman to break 4:30 for a mile. She is still an active masters competitor, holding several world records and pursuing more as she moves into a new age division.
Morgan Uceny is a retired American track and field athlete who specialized in middle distance running. Uceny won three national championships and was the 2011 IAAF Diamond League Champion at 1500 meters. She ended 2011 as the first American since 1985 to be ranked number one in the world in the 1500 m by Track & Field News.
Carmen Douma-Hussar is a Canadian middle-distance runner. She is a member of the Guelph Track and Field Club and is coached by Marcus O'Sullivan and Albert Tschirhart. She was the silver medalist in the 1500 m at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
Deborah Dawn "Debbie" Scott-Bowker is a Canadian former middle- and long-distance runner. A three-time Olympian for Canada, she reached the 1500 m final in 1984, and both the 1500 m and 3000 m finals in 1988. She was also a three-time World Championship finalist, reaching the 1500 m and 3000 m finals in 1987, and the 1500 m final in 1991.
Juliana Paula Gomes dos Santos is a Brazilian middle-distance runner. Her greatest achievement is a gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2007 Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro. She is a three-time gold medallist at the South American Championships in Athletics, being the 1500 m champion in 2003 and 2006, as well as a 4×400 metres relay champion.
Susan Krumins is a Dutch middle- and long-distance runner. She was the 5000 metres bronze medalist at the 2014 European Athletics Championships and also won a 3000 metres bronze at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup.
Kathleen Friedrich is a German former middle-distance runner who specialised in the 1500 metres. She has a personal best of 4 minutes 4.27 seconds, as well as an 800 metres best of 2:01.45.
Lyubov Kremlyova is a Russian former middle- and long-distance runner who competed internationally both for the Soviet Union and Russia. She had her greatest success indoors, winning medals at the 1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships and 1992 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She was stripped of a second World Indoor medal in 1995 after a positive test for steroids.
Nicole Tully is an American middle- and long-distance runner. She holds best of 4:05.89 minutes for the 1500 meters and 15:05.58 minutes for the 5000 meters. She was the American national champion over the latter distance in 2015.
