10K run

At the professional level, there are many races which offer significant prize money to athletes who achieve a high finishing position in the race. At the highest level, annual prize money can total over US$100,000 at races such as the World's Best 10K, Peachtree Road Race, Apryle Showers Run - Florida's Fastest 10K and World 10K Bangalore.

The 10K road distance has never featured on the event programmes of the Athletics at the Summer Olympics or the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. However, it did briefly have its own individual championship for women in the form of the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships, which was contested over ten kilometres in 1983 and 1984. As a result, the highest level 10K road competitions occur at individual races run by race promoters, who attract elite international level runners through prize money and appearance fees. These types of races are held in all parts of the world, but the highest calibre races are mainly concentrated in the United States, Canada, Europe and East Asia.

The world records for the 10K road distance are 26:24 minutes for men (Rhonex Kipruto, 2020) and 29:43 minutes for women (Joyciline Jepkosgei, 2017). Performances over ten kilometres on the roads were not recognised as world records by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) until 2003 and instead the fastest times were referred to as "world bests". This changed in August 2003 when the IAAF Congress approved world record status for a number of specified road distances, including the 10 km.

As with other forms of professional long-distance running, East African athletes have been dominant in the 10K distance since the 1990s. As of January 2020, all ten of the fastest male 10K runners are East African (five of them Kenyan), while nine of the top ten female runners are Kenyan.

• World records are in bold. Correct as of January 2024.

Men

• Correct as of March 2024

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 27:04:

• Rhonex Kipruto also ran 26:43 (2021), 26:46 (2018), 26:58 (2022).
• Sebastian Sawe also ran 26:54 (2022).
• Nicholas Kimeli also ran 26:54 (2023).
• Tadese Worku also ran 26:59 (2022), 27:02 (2024).
• Joshua Cheptegei also ran 26:49 (2022), 26:53 (2024).
• Kibiwott Kandie also ran 26:51 (2022), 26:53 (2023).
• Rodrigue Kwizera also ran 27:04 (2023).

Other bests en route or on aided road course equal or superior to 27:04

• Correct as of February 2022.
• + = en route to longer performance
• a = aided road course according to IAAF rule 260.28

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 27:04:

• Jacob Kiplimo also ran 26:56+ (2022).

Women

• Correct as of April 2024.
• Mx = mixed gender race
• Wo = women only race

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 30:14:

• Yalemzerf Yehualaw also ran 29:19 Mx (2023).
• Agnes Ngetich also ran 29:24 Wo (2023), 29:26 Wo (2023), 30:03 Wo (2024).
• Sheila Chepkirui also ran 29:57 Mx (2019), 30:07 Wo (2022).
• Emmaculate Acholi also run 30:01 Wo (2023).
• Norah Jeruto also ran 30:07 (2019), 30:08 (2021).
• Loice Chemnung also ran 30:08 Mx (2024), 30:09 Mx (2024).

Other bests en route or on aided road course equal or superior to 30:14

• Correct as of May 2021.
• + = en route to longer performance
• a = aided road course according to IAAF rule 260.28

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 30:14:

• Letesenbet Gidey also ran 29:44+ (2019), 29:45+ (2021).
• Yalemzerf Yehualaw also ran 29:52+ Mx (2022).
• Joyciline Jepkosgei also ran 30:04+ (2017), 30:07+ (2017).
• Fancy Chemutai also ran 30:07+ (2017).

• IAAF list of 10k records in XML