Grete Waitz was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz won nine New York City Marathons, women's division, between 1978 and 1988, the highest number of victories in a single big city marathon in history. She won the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and a gold medal at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki. She was also a five-time winner of the World Cross Country Championships.
Ingrid Kristiansen is a Norwegian former athlete. She was one of the best female long-distance runners during the 1980s. She is a former world record holder in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon. Kristiansen was a World Champion on the track, roads and cross-country, becoming the first athlete to win World titles on all three surfaces. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she finished fourth in the first women's Olympic marathon. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she dropped out of the 10,000 metres final while leading. Early in her career, she was also an elite cross country skier, winning several Norwegian titles and a European junior championships.
Abderrahim Goumri was a Moroccan long-distance runner. He had competed in cross country, track, road running and marathon races.
Odd Rasdal was a Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in the 10,000 metres.
John Halvorsen is a retired Norwegian long-distance runner who specialized in 10,000 metres and cross-country running. He represented IF Minerva.
Jan Fjærestad is a retired Norwegian orienteering competitor and athlete. His achievements in orienteering include an individual silver medal at the 1974 World Orienteering Championships and a world championship title in the relay in 1978. He won three national titles in marathon.
Hayle Ibrahimov is an Ethiopian-born Azerbaijani international middle and long distance track and field athlete, mainly competing in the disciplines of 3000 metres and 5000 metres. He holds the Azerbaijani records in both these events.
Daniele Meucci is an Italian athlete who specialises in long-distance running, including track running, cross country and road running who won twenty medals at international level.
Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal is a Norwegian middle-, long-distance and steeplechase runner. She won bronze medals for the 10,000 metres at the 2016 European Championships, and in the 3000 m steeplechase at the 2018 European Championships. Grøvdal earned nine individual medals at the European Cross Country Championships, an unsurpassed record by a female athlete in the meet history.
Pål Sverre Benum was a Norwegian long-distance runner. He specialized in the longest track distances, 5000 and 10,000 metres, eventually competing at the 1964 Olympic Games. He also competed in cross-country running. On the track he became national champion three times, in addition to nine titles in cross-country. After his active career he became a professor of medicine.
Adel Mechaal Mechaal is a middle- and long-distance runner. Born in Morocco, he represents Spain internationally. In the 1500 metres, he placed fourth at the 2017 World Championships, and fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Over the 5000 metres, Mechaal won the silver medal at the 2016 European Championships. He is a three-time European Indoor Championships 3000 metres medallist. He also won two medals for the men's senior races at the European Cross Country Championships.
Hilde Stavik was a Norwegian long-distance runner.
Yomif Kejelcha Atomsa is an Ethiopian distance runner. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2019 World Athletics Championships and gold medals for the 3000 metres at the 2016 and 2018 World Indoor Championships. Kejelcha is the world indoor record holder for the mile with a time of 3:47.01, set on 3 March 2019 in Boston.
Yemaneberhan "Yeman" Crippa is an Ethiopian-born Italian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres and bronze for the 5000 metres at the European Athletics Championships in 2022, and bronze in the 10,000 m in 2018. Crippa claimed four medals in the age-group races at the European Cross Country Championships and a bronze in the senior race in 2019.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is a Norwegian middle- and long-distance runner, who is the current world record holder in the indoor 1500 metres and the 2000 metres, and holds the world best time over the two mile distance. Ingebrigtsen is a two-time Olympic champion, having won a gold medal in the 1500 m at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting an Olympic and European record, and a gold medal in the 5000 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is also a two-time World champion, winning gold medals in the 5000 m in 2022 and 2023 and a six-time European champion, winning gold medals in the 1500 m and 5000 m in 2018, 2022, and 2024. In addition to the 1500 m, Ingebrigtsen holds European records in the mile, 3000 m, and 5000 m, and is one of only three men to run a sub-3:30 1500 m, sub-7:30 3000 m and a sub-12:50 5000 m.
Selemon Barega Shirtaga is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He won the gold medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, silver for the 5,000 metres at the 2019 World Championships in Doha and bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Barega is a two-time 3,000 metres World Indoor Championship medallist, taking silver in 2018, and a gold in 2022.
Stewart "Stewie" McSweyn is an Australian long-distance runner. He was a finalist in the men's 1500 metres in the Tokyo Olympics, and has also been a World Championships and Commonwealth Games finalist in the 3000 metres steeplechase, 5000 metres and 10,000 metres.
Isaac Kimeli is a Kenyan born Belgian middle- and long-distance runner.
Narve Gilje Nordås is a Norwegian athlete competing in middle-distance and long-distance events. He is a World Championships (2023) bronze medalist and two-time Olympian, having competed at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
Magnus Tuv Myhre is a Norwegian middle and long-distance runner. He won the 5000 metres at the 2022 and 2023 Norwegian Athletics Championships, as well as the 2022 national cross-country championships. He also competed in the 5000 metres at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
