Misplaced Pages

3200 metres

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
A request that this article title be changed to 3200 meters is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed.
Athletics
3200 metres
World records
MenNorway Jakob Ingebrigtsen 7:51.35c (2023)
WomenEthiopia Meseret Defar 8:55.45c (2007)
Long middle distance or short long distance running event

3200 metres is an uncommon long middle-distance, or short long-distance, track and field running event that is 200m longer than the much more common 3,000 metre run, and slightly shorter than the two mile run.

At exactly eight laps on a standard 400 m track, or sixteen laps around an indoor 200 m track, this event is typically run only in American high schools, along with the 1600 m. It is the longest standardized event in track meets conducted by the NFHS in American high school competition. It is colloquially called the "two-mile", despite the distance being 18.688 metres shorter.

In college, the typical runner of this event would convert to the 5,000-metre run, or potentially the 3,000-metre run during the indoor season.

While World Athletics does not recognize an official world record or world best in the 3200 metres, the two mile run can be used as an approximation.

American High School Records

According to NFHS, the current male high school record holder in the 3200m is Simeon Birnbaum, with a time of 8:34.10 in 2023.

However, there have been faster high school 3200m times en route to two miles. Aforementioned Simeon Birnbaum ran an 8:31.73 3200m en route to two miles, also in 2023. Even faster was Lukas Verzbicas, who ran an equivalent 8:26.50 3200m en route to his high school two mile record of 8:29.46, in 2011, at the Prefontaine Classic.

Therefore, Birnbaum holds the record for the fastest 3200m exclusively against other high schoolers and not en-route to two miles, while Verzbicas holds the record for fastest ever high school 3200m (and two miles).

All-Time Outdoor Top 13 High School Boys' Times (Table Credit: NFHS)

Time Athlete State Date & Location
8:34.10 Simeon Birnbaum  South Dakota (Rapid City Stevens) at Arcadia, CA, 4-8, 2023
8:34.23 German Fernandez  California (Riverbank) at Norwalk, CA, 2008
8:41.10 Dathan Ritzenhein  Michigan (Rockford), 2000
8:43.32 Dathan Ritzenhein  Michigan (Rockford), 2001
8:44.95 Eric Mastalir  California (Sacramento Jesuit), 1986
8:46.08 Jeramy Elkaim  New Jersey (Livingston), 2010
8:46.40 Luke Puskedra  Utah (Slt. Lk. Cty. Judge Memorial), 2008
8:46.47 Andrew Bumbalough  Tennessee (Brentwood Academy), 2004
8:46.70 Scott Fry  Ohio (Sandusky Perkins), 1985
8:47.30 Caleb Webb  California (Big Bear), 2015
8:47.40 Rheinhardt Harrison  Florida (Ponte Vedra Beach Nease), 2021
8:48.55 Joe Rosa  New Jersey (West Windsor-Plainsboro North), 2010
8:49.88 Eric Reynolds  California (Camarillo), 1983

Likewise, the current official female high school record holder in the 3200m is Katelyn Touhy, with a time of 9:47.88 in 2018.

However, in 2024, Elizabeth Leachman broke Touhy's record twice, first clocking 9:45.57 on February 1 and subsequently 9:43.74 on February 15. The NFHS has yet to ratify this record.

In 2020, en route to two miles, Dalias Frias ran a 9:47.27 equivalent 3200m in her two mile high school record of 9:50.70, also faster than Touhy's record but still slower than Leachman's new records.

The fastest time ever recorded outdoors for a high school girl in the 3200m only was by Brynn Brown in 2020, with a time of 9:39.91. However, this time was achieved with two male pacers, during an unofficial workout, on an uncertified course, and was not officially timed, nor officially measured.

Therefore, once ratified, Leachman's 9:43.74 will be the outdoor high school girls' 3200m record.

However, on June 12, 2024, Allie Zealand ran 9:41.76 for the two miles at the Brooks PR Invitational, which converts down to a 9:38.38 3200m. Since this 3200m split was en route to two miles, it is not eligible to be an NFHS 3200 metre record.

If indoor tracks are considered, Mary Cain's 2013 9:38.68 two mile time converts down to a 9:35.32 3200m, and is the therefore the fastest 3200m split ever recorded for a high school girl.

All-Time Outdoor Top 19 High School Girls' Times (Table Credit: NFHS)

Time Athlete State Date & Location
9:43.74 Elizabeth Leachman  Texas (Boerne), 2-15, 2024
9:45.57 Elizabeth Leachman  Texas (San Antonio), 2-1, 2024
9:47.88 Katelyn Touhy  New York (Thiells North Rockland) at White Plains, NY, 5-11, 2018
9:48.59 Kimberly Mortensen  California (Thousand Oaks) at Norwalk, CA, 1996
9:52.13 Jordan Hasay  California (San Luis Obispo Mission Prep), 2008
9:52.51 Laurynne Chetelat  California (Davis), 2008
9:53.79 Destiny Collins  California (Great Oak), 2015
9:56.96 Kayla Beattie  Illinois (Woodstock), 2011
9:58.74 Allie Ostrander  Alaska (Kenai Central), 2015
9:58.77 Brynn Brown  Texas (Denton Guyer), 2021
10:01.14 Fiona O'Keeffe  California (Davis), 2015
10:03.07 Erin Keogh  Virginia (McLean Langley), 1987
10:04.03 Christine Babcock  California (Irvine Woodbridge), 2008
10:04.04 Jordan Hasay  California (San Luis Obispo Mission Prep), 2007
10:04.20 Cory Schubert  California (San Jose Del Mar), 1983
10:05.29 Jordan Hasay  California (San Luis Obispo Mission Prep), 2009
10:05.58 Erin Keogh  Virginia (McLean Langley), 1986
10:07.33 Claudia Lane  California (Malibu), 2017
10:07.56 Jordan Hasay  California (San Luis Obispo Mission Prep), 2006

Equivalent World Bests

Outdoor

Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran a converted equivalent of a 7:51.35 3200m in his 2023 world best of 7:54.10 in the two mile run.

Meseret Defar ran a converted equivalent of an 8:52.34 3200m in her 2007 world best of 8:58.58 in the two mile run.

Indoor

Josh Kerr ran a converted equivalent of a 7:57.88 3200m in his 2024 world best of 8:00.67 in the two mile run.

Genzebe Dibaba ran a converted equivalent of an 8:57.35 3200m in her 2014 world best of 9:00.48 in the two mile run.

Relays

The term "3200 metre relay" usually refers to the 4x800 metre relay.

Notes

  1. References List of United States high school national records in track and field
  2. ^ In high school-only 3200m races, and not en route to two miles. May not be perfectly up-to-date.

References

  1. "Stats | World Athletics | World Athletics". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  2. "Record Books".
  3. "Record Books".
  4. ^ "Running Conversion Calculator - MileSplit".
Athletics events
Track
Sprints
Hurdles
Middle-distance
Long-distance
Relays
Walking
Field
Throws
Jumps
Combined
Road
Running
Walking
Other
Sport of athletics portal • Current Olympic events shown in italics
Categories: