What events would you include in the "Grand Slam" or "Triple Crown" of distance running?

Triple Crown of Marathoning:

Boston

Tokyo

Berlin

but most athletes only do 2 marathons a year...

Grand Slam of Distance running:

World's Best 10k

Lisbon Half

Great North Run

New York City Marathon

The triple crown is a great idea, but having a marathon in it would be to much deviation for athletes wishing to compete in the 5000m too. ideally i think it should be:

Spring: XC

Summer: 10'000m

Fall: Half.

World XC

Bay to Breakers 12K

Bislett Dream Mile

NYC Marathon

A grand slam, plus WC/OG trials and games would make for a full year for any runner wanting to attempt it.

In the same year:

Diamond League title

World/Olympic gold medal

Indoor Gold medal

World record or fastest time of the year

Speed, consistency, winning.

(1) Beer Mile.

(2) Half-marathon whilst wearing a suit and tie.

(3) Tough Mudder.

World Cross

Rotterdam

Fukuoka

We can't hand this to every Kamworor that comes along:

Zurich 5000

World XC

London Marathon

Likely no runner in history could win all three (at current competitive levels), but someone truly exceptional might be able to snag all three in a career.

For long distance:

5k or 10k outdoor track

World XC 10-15k

Road race (either 10k or 1/2)

Indoor 3k

For mid distance

World champs 800-5000

XC 3-4k

Road mile

Invent

Indoor track 800-1500

(I'm open to replacing one of these with a cinder track mile)

Athletics biggest problem is that the most important races happen during 1 week of the year.

If you look at cycling they have 4 monument races from March-April, the giro in may, the tour in July, the vuelta in August/September and then the world champs and another monument in September/October.

That gives you 9 really important events happening 7/12 months of the year.

Track has maybe 7 really important events a year but they are happening in only 4 months of the year.

Announce in the early Fall the Grand Slam events for the year ahead. Get a group of sponsors to put up a huge sum by distance running standards (i.e., $2-5 million if someone can win 'em all). assign grand slam points for those who finish in the top 10-25 of each event. Hand out smaller prizes for those that finish in the top 5-10 in the grand slam standings that year. Events should rotate venues and distances every year.

Euro circuit or Millrose distance event (i.e., Wannamaker mile) in the Winter.

World XC in the Spring.

Olympic/WC 10k in the Summer (or maybe the Pre 10k the one year in the cycle when there isn't an olympics or WC)

Berlin/NY/Chicago marathon in the Fall.

The Triple Crown would look something like:

World XC (dosen't every distance runner want to win this?)

London Marathon (toughest marathon to win)

Olympic 5k (toughest track distance race to win, in my opinion)

Those three encompass three different surfaces, at 3 different distances, while still being theoretically possible due to them falling at times of the year where recovery/training are still doable.

I could've, in theory, seen Gebresallasie or Bekele pulling this off. For someone like Kwamaor, I don't think he'd be fast enough to win the 5k, where as Farah wouldn't be strong enough to win the London Marathon. Which would mean that only the very best of the best could pull it off, again in theory. Shouldn't that be what the Triple Crown is all about?

1. 20K race walk

2. Color run

3. Rock n roll half DC

4. Tough muddier

Summer Olympics

IAAF World Outdoor

Major Marathons (not the so-called sponsored "Marathon Majors")

This would need to be an invitational circuit like in golf. But of track meets here in the US. Earn points like the fed ex cup.

Stanford invite, Payton Jordan, Pre, Mt. Sac, whatever.

As for the "triple crown" I think it is world xc, indoor 5k, outdoor 10k.

Add Oxy HP to that list

The marathons have the world marathon majors championship, and track I think has a diamond league circuit championship? Maybe throw these points championships into the grand slam.

Grand slam:

Best cross country runner (World XC)

Best track racer (diamond league points champion -- in any event)

Best marathoner (World Marathon Majors Champion)

Best road racer?

Perhaps there should be grand slams for each. Like someone winning all of the world marathon majors, or someone winning all of the diamond league races?

5000m, 10000m & Marathon at the same Olympics.

World lead, 1500m

World lead, 5000m

World lead, 10,000m

Nothing less than a world lead is a for-sure great performance. You can win a championship in a college-level time. The world leader is the true champion. How can you be champion if you don't lead the world???

World XC -- back to 12K

DL 5000

World HM ... would need to move to fall