What Other Running Events Could Be At The Olympic Games?

The Olympic Games currently features 13 different running events, but could there be other running races at the Olympics? And if so, what would be the most fun to watch?

At The Running Channel we’ve got a few ideas. But first, let’s look at the existing events and considerations for adding new events.

WHAT RUNNING EVENTS ARE ALREADY IN THE OLYMPICS?

These are the running events currently in the Olympics. All are races for men and women, with an additional 4 x 400m mixed relay. All take part on the track apart from the marathon.

• SPRINTS: 100m, 200m and 400m (including 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relays)
• HURDLES: 100m/110m hurdles (women/men) and 400m hurdles
• MIDDLE DISTANCE: 800m and 1500m
• LONG DISTANCE: 3000m steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m
• MARATHON

HOW ARE NEW EVENTS ADDED TO THE OLYMPICS?

Every Olympic Games has a core set of sports which must feature, then host cities can additionally propose extra events they’d like on their programme, especially those which help to promote local interest. 

To become a new Olympic sport, events must be established and follow numerous guidelines, including having international federations, conforming to the Olympic Charter, and having anti-doping and anti-cheating regulations (here’s a full overview of what it takes). 

The sport must be something that is seen and performed by men in at least 75 countries over four continents, and by women in at least 40 countries over three continents. It must take into consideration things like the number of athletes competing, the cost and complexity of hosting and broadcasting the event, general media interest, and the legacy of the event.

So could we see more new running events added as Olympic sports in future Games? We’ve got some ideas of races we’d love to watch.

WHAT RUNNING EVENTS WOULD WE LIKE TO SEE AT THE OLYMPICS?

TRAIL RUNNING & ULTRARUNNING

Trail running and ultramarathons are increasingly popular, so seeing an off-road race that’s around 20km as a ‘short course’ or 40km-100km as a long course/ultra option, could be a great addition to the Olympic Games. 

As existing sports with elite runners, we have the athletes and the sport infrastructure for this to work. The bigger challenge here would be to find the right course, as this would likely be away from the host city, and it’s also logistically challenging to film and broadcast. However, long ultras like UTMB and Western States have proven that it’s possible to film long trail races and make for compelling viewing. 

There’s already work going on to introduce trail running into the Brisbane 2032 Games over short and long courses, though we don’t yet know specifics of the bid.

CROSS COUNTRY 

Cross country was part of the Olympic Games in 1912, 1920 and 1924. This could use the same format as the World Cross Country Championships with races of around 10km on a looped course. These races are always exciting to watch, especially as the terrain is hilly and typically has mud or a water obstacle to contend with. There could additionally be a mixed team relay on the same course.

Logistically it’d be easy to find or create a course in a host city, and it’s easy to broadcast and spectate, as proven by the World Cross Country Championships.

And there technically is some ‘cross country’ in the Olympics as the modern pentathlon features a shooting and running round which involves a 1km ‘cross country’ run with rounds of laser shooting, but it’s more of an extended grass loop than a traditional cross country course. 

One recent update has come from Seb Coe, president of World Athletics, who has said there are discussions to introduce cross country running into the Winter Olympics. 

HALF MARATHON 

How about a road half marathon around the host city streets? The marathons are traditionally on the final two days of the Olympic calendar, so this could become one of the opening events and showcase the host city early in the Games, even picking a route which runs by other locations or sports venues. It’d be fast and could feature some brilliant racing, plus each country has many superb marathoners who just miss out on their team, so this would be a great chance for them to race. 

MIXED MARATHON RELAY

Imagine the marathon as a mixed relay. Using the marathon route but with teams of two men and two women from each nation, each racing around 10.5km. This one is inspired by Japanese Ekiden racing. 

It could be a fun and fast race to watch, with plenty of drama with the change-over of teams and lots of back-and-forth with the running. Logistically it could take place on the marathon course, so everything will already be set up for it, and it could be run between the men’s and women’s marathons, perhaps as a night race. Or it could be run as four 10.5km laps for a more exciting viewing and spectating experience.

ONE MILE ROAD RACE

Picture the streets of the host city lined with thousands of people cheering as dozens of runners tear through a one mile road race. It’d be fast and thrilling, brilliant to watch live and on TV, and could be a great way to kick off the running events at the Games. 

Apart from the marathon (and triathlon), all the running events take part on the track, so it’d be great to see some running on the streets at the Olympics. 

TIME TRIAL RUNS

Middle and long distance races get tactical, with runners more interested in medals than the fastest times, so what if you took away the pack and made it a time trial, like they have in cycling. It could be a road course through the city, anywhere from 5km to 10km, and it’s an all-out run to get the fastest possible time. No tactics, just head down and run as hard as possible.

VERTICAL KILOMETRE

Could we see runners racing to climb a vertical kilometre? It’s a brutal event, and one for specialists in mountain or trail running. It would involve a course of under 5km in total distance, with a total elevation gain of 1000m. 

This would make for a great spectacle of a race, though the logistics may be a challenge as it’s not easy to find routes that can work for this, meaning this race would likely take place far outside of the host city. Perhaps this is a consideration for the Winter Olympics?

10km LAST PERSON STANDING

A battle of endurance and speed, but also tactics and peril. What if you had 27 athletes on the track and after each lap, the person in last place is removed. As the 10km race continues, the number of runners reduces until there are just three left and it’s a three-way sprint finish to claim the medals. It’s not an existing race format, but it sure would be interesting to watch!

ANY OTHER IDEAS?!

An Olympic Games bleep test? A three-legged race? A 12-hour timed ultramarathon where the furthest distance wins? A backyard ultra which just keeps on running in the background while other track events take place? Skyrunning in nearby mountains?

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If you could pick just one running event to add to the Olympic schedule, what would it be? 

Image Marco Gulberti