Statisticians Analyze A Year On The Track

The data suggests a mediocre year for both men and women.

A pair of statisticians, A. Lennart Julin and Mirko Jalava, have recently analyzed the long-distance running performances on the track for 2010. In an article that appeared on the IAAF’s Web site, Julin and Jalava focused on three key events: 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, and 10,000m.

Overall, the findings point out that in the men’s events, the absence of stars like Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie from competition are noticeable. According the the results, the first 20 athletes on the world list within just nine seconds of each other in the 5,000m. In the 10,000m, just two athletes ran under 27 minutes, while no one clocked under 8:00 in the steeplechase.

In the women’s 5,000 one runner stands to the fore: Vivian Cheruiyot. The Kenyan won that event in the African Championships, the Continental Cup, and the Commonwealth Games. For the 10,000m, the fastest times of the year came from Meselech Melkamu and Pauline Korikwiang who ran 31:04 and 31:06 respectively. Meanwhile, the women’s steeplechase event was “very much a below-par year.”

For More: IAAF