The 20K run (20

kilometre The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ex ...

s, or approximately 12.4

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

s) is a long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

event. The event held

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

world championship status in 2006 only, when the existing IAAF World Half Marathon Championships briefly hosted the shorter distance. The world best for men is held by Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea who ran a time of 56:01 at the

2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships The 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships were held in Debrecen, Hungary on 8 October 2006, the women's race starting at 11:00 and the men's race at 13:00. This was the first time the title of World Road Running Champion had been competed for ...

in Debrecen, Hungary. The women's world best is held by

Florence Kiplagat Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February, 1987) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships ...

of Kenya who ran a time of 1:01:54 at the 2015 Barcelona Half Marathon in Barcelona, Spain. IAAF records require the 20 km distance to be run on a course without a significant drop in elevation between the start and finish points and where the birds-eye distance between the start of finish points is less than ten kilometres. The

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

has an additional criteria in that it requires records to be set in competitions of the given distance, thus it does not recognise Kiplagat's run due to it being recorded en route to a longer distance. The ARRS-recognised world record is 1:03:21 by Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands, who also recorded her time at the 2006 World Championships.

Road races

There are several annual road running competitions over the 20 km distance, mostly based in Western Europe, the United States, and Japan.Road 20 km Race Histories

. Retrieved 2019-07-06. ;Europe * 20 van Alphen *

20 km of Brussels The 20 km of Brussels (french: 20 km de Bruxelles, nl, 20 km door Brussel) is a 20.1 km running race that has been held each year in Brussels since 1980, usually in May. It used to have a maximum number of 25,000 entries, which were normally sold o ...

20 Kilomètres de Paris The 20 Kilomètres de Paris (''Paris 20 km'') is an annual road running competition over 20 kilometres which takes place on the streets of Paris, France in October. First held in 1979, the race attracts top level international competitors ...

* 20 km of Tours *

20 km of Lausanne The 20 km of Lausanne (French ''20 km de Lausanne'') is an annual road running event in Lausanne ( Switzerland). It includes races on 20, 10, 4 and 2 kilometres. The 20 km of Lausanne takes place in spring (April) and the Marathon of Lausanne ...

* 20 km of Maroilles * Behobia-San Sebastián * Friedeslauf 20 km * Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale * Zilveren Molenloop ;Japan *

Hakone Ekiden Yosenkai is a town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 11,293 and a population density of 122 persons per km². The total area of the town is . The town is a popular tourist destination due to its many hot springs and views o ...

* Takashimadaira 20 km ;United States *

New Haven Road Race The New Haven Road Race is a 20 kilometer road race held in New Haven, Connecticut which was started in 1978. The race is held during the Labor Day weekend. History The first year the race was contested was in 1978, when nearly 1,200 runners s ...

John F Kennedy Memorial 20 km John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Vestal XX Vestal may refer to: * Pertaining to Vesta (mythology), a Roman goddess ** The sacred fire of Vesta ** The Temple of Vesta ** Vestal Virgin, a priestess of Vesta ** Vestalia, an ancient Roman religious festival in honor of Vesta * Vestal, New Yor ...

Penn Relays 20 km Penn may refer to: Places England * Penn, Buckinghamshire * Penn, West Midlands United States * Penn, North Dakota * Penn, Oregon * Pennsylvania ** Penn, Pennsylvania * Penn Lake Park, Pennsylvania * Penn Township (disambiguation), several munic ...

The Kanaguri Hai Tamana Half Marathon,

Dam to Dam Half Marathon A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

and Ogden Newspapers Classic Half Marathon were all previously 20 km races for much of their history.

All-time top 25

*+ = en route to longer performance *Mx = mixed gender race *Wo = women only race

Men

*''Correct as of October 2022'' Tadesse cropped

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 55:47: * Jacob Kiplimo also ran 54:42 (2020), 54:53 (2022). *

Rhonex Kipruto Rhonex Kipruto (born 12 October 1999) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He is the 2018 10,000 metres world U20 champion and the 2019 10,000 metres world championships bronze medalist. His 10 km road race personal best of 26:24, set Januar ...

also ran 55:04 (2021). * Kibiwott Kandie also ran 55:08 (2022). *

Philemon Kiplimo Philemon may refer to: In the Bible * Epistle to Philemon, a book in the New Testament * Philemon (biblical figure), recipient of Saint Paul's Epistle to Philemon Arts and entertainment * ''Philémon'' (comics), a Franco-Belgian comic book se ...

also ran 55:19 (2021). *

Alexander Mutiso Alexander Mutiso Munyao (born 10 September 1996) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in road running. His personal best of 57:59 in the half marathon set at the 2020 Valencia Half Marathon is the fourth fastest time ever. Personal ...

also ran 55:41 (2022). *

Kelvin Kiptum Kelvin Kiptum (born 2 December 1999) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. He ran the fastest ever marathon debut at the 2022 Valencia Marathon, becoming just the third man in history to break two hours and two minutes. Career Kiptum gained his fi ...

also ran 55:45 (2021). *

Abadi Hadis Abadi Hadis (6 November 1997 – 4 February 2020) was an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He placed 15th over 10,000 metres at the 2016 Olympics. He won a bronze medal at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2017 IAAF World Cros ...

also ran 55:46 (2019).

Women

*''Updated April 2022''Senior Outdoor 20 Kilometres Women
IAAF. Retrieved 2019-07-06. Florence Jebet Kiplagat winning the Berlin Marathon 2011

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 1:02:29: *

Yalemzerf Yehualaw Yalemzerf Yehualaw Densa (born 3 August 1999) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the 2022 London Marathon. Yehualaw is the current world record holder in the 10 kilometres road race, sits second on the world all-time list at the hal ...

also ran 1:01:05 (2021), 1:02:04 (2020). *

Hellen Obiri Hellen Onsando Obiri (born 13 December 1989) is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. She is a two-time Olympic 5000 metres silver medallist from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she also placed fourth over the 10,000 metres. S ...

also ran 1:01:18 (2021). *

Sheila Chepkirui Sheila Chepkirui Kiprotich (born 27 December 1990) is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner who competed earlier mainly in the 1500 metres and 5000 metres. She won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Chepki ...

also ran 1:01:26 (2021). * Joyciline Jepkosgei also ran 1:01.28 (2017), 1:02:27 (2020). * Brigid Kosgei also ran 1:01:29 (2020). * Ruth Chepngetich also ran 1:02:10 (2022). *

also ran 1:02:15 (2020). * Ababel Yeshaneh also ran 1:02:17 (2020) and 1:02:24 (2018). * Bosena Mulate also ran 1:02:26 (2021).

Notes

References

{{Athletics events Road running distances Long-distance running distances