Should we retire the 10000m from the track?

Ummmmmmm wrote:

I just watched the recorded race of The Ten and it reminded me how boring the 10000m is to watch.

This distance is very stable for the majority of the race, with the excitement coming in the last 1-2 laps. You get about the same amount (or less) of action for those two laps as the 5000m but the race is twice as long.

Don’t get me wrong, these performances are great displays of fitness, but the watchability of this event on the track is boring. With the road producing faster times from super shoes and a bit more nuance, should we ditch the track 10000m for more 10ks on the road and cross country?

I think this would provide more investment in resources for other events in track while also strengthening participation in cross country and road races for those who suit this distance. I can’t remember a track 100000 where I wasn’t zoned out watching for 90% of the race.

Ummmmmmm wrote:

I just watched the recorded race of The Ten and it reminded me how boring the 10000m is to watch.

This distance is very stable for the majority of the race, with the excitement coming in the last 1-2 laps. You get about the same amount (or less) of action for those two laps as the 5000m but the race is twice as long.

Don’t get me wrong, these performances are great displays of fitness, but the watchability of this event on the track is boring. With the road producing faster times from super shoes and a bit more nuance, should we ditch the track 10000m for more 10ks on the road and cross country?

I think this would provide more investment in resources for other events in track while also strengthening participation in cross country and road races for those who suit this distance. I can’t remember a track 100000 where I wasn’t zoned out watching for 90% of the race.

sql4k wrote:

A couple years ago Seb Coe was itching to cut the 5000 and 10,000 and replacing both with 3K. He sort of had a point. Mo Farah slowing the pace and winning with a 300m kick was becoming a snooze fest. Thankfully he didn't cut them and we have been rewarded with an insane era of 5K racing in the past 1/2 a decade. Pretty much as soon as Farah stepped aside tons of talented young guys were ready to step up and run honest races. The turning point I think was Selmon Barega dropping a 12:43 without super shoes, leading eight others to sub 13 PBs in 2018. Since then, there has been more fast times, more diversity in racing tactics, and a more fun spectator experience in general. Future legends like Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Joshua Cheptegai face each other and drop sub 12:55s on the Diamond League circuit regularly and there are tons of guys who can beat them on their day. We are experiencing an amazing time for 5Ks and cutting it would suck.