2014 End-of-Year Reviews – Long Distance

Statisticians Mirko Jalava and A Lennart Julin look back at the best long-distance running performances of the year.

Men’s 5000m

It was a relatively low-key season in terms of performances in the men’s 5000m with only four athletes running faster than 13 minutes during the 2014 season. But one of these four was easily the best overall with the others running less consistently during the summer.

Caleb Ndiku, who had previously been a 1500m specialist, started the season with a world indoor title over 3000m. The 22-year-old Kenyan was unbeaten in his five total races in 3000m and won all important 5000m races as well.

Ndiku started his 5000m season with a 13:01.71 world leader for a win in Eugene and then capped his season with major wins at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and African Championships in Marrakech. He later added a win at the Weltklasse in Zurich, right after finishing third in Stockholm in a 12:59.17 personal best. The Kenyan also won the Continental Cup 3000m in Marrakech in September.

Ethiopian Muktar Edris was the fastest runner of the year, winning in 12:54.83 in Stockholm. But his season was quite thin as in addition to this win and a second-place finish in Zurich, other results were moderate.

In fact, Yenew Alamirew, also from Ethiopia, was the second-best 5000m runner in 2014, despite the fact that his best of 13:00.21 was only the fifth-fastest time of the season. The 24-year-old recorded wins in Shanghai and Oslo and placed second in three further IAAF Diamond League meetings in Eugene, Paris and Glasgow.

Read more at: IAAF.org