3200 metres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Athletics3200 Meters |
|
|---|---|
| World records | |
| Men |  Jakob Ingebrigtsen 7:51.35+ (2023) |
| Women |  Meseret Defar 8:55.45+ (2007) |
The 3200 metres is a running race on a track. It's a bit longer than the common 3,000 metre race and a little shorter than a two-mile run.
This race is exactly eight laps around a standard 400-metre outdoor track. If you're running indoors on a 200-metre track, it's sixteen laps! The 3200 metres is mostly run in American high schools. It's the longest race in track meets organized by the NFHS for high school students. People often call it the "two-mile" race, even though it's actually about 18.6 metres shorter than two miles.
After high school, runners who compete in the 3200 metres often switch to the 5,000-metre run in college. Sometimes, they might run the 3,000-metre run during the indoor track season.
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High School Records in the USA
The 3200m race has some amazing record holders in American high schools. These records are tracked by the NFHS.
For boys, the current official high school record holder for the 3200m is Simeon Birnbaum. He ran it in 8 minutes and 34.10 seconds in 2023.
However, some runners have achieved even faster 3200m times while they were on their way to finishing a two-mile race. This is called "en route." Simeon Birnbaum himself ran an 8:31.73 3200m time "en route" to a two-mile race in 2023. Even faster was Lukas Verzbicas, who ran an equivalent 8:26.50 3200m time in 2011. This happened while he was setting his high school two-mile record of 8:29.46.
So, Simeon Birnbaum holds the record for the fastest 3200m race run only against other high schoolers. Lukas Verzbicas holds the record for the fastest 3200m time ever recorded by a high schooler, even if it was part of a longer two-mile race.
Top 13 Outdoor High School Boys' Times
This table shows the fastest 3200m times for high school boys in outdoor races.
| 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 |
For girls, the official high school record holder for the 3200m is Katelyn Touhy, with a time of 9 minutes and 47.88 seconds in 2018.
However, in 2024, Elizabeth Leachman ran even faster times. She clocked 9:45.57 on February 1st and then 9:43.74 on February 15th. The NFHS still needs to officially approve these new records.
In 2020, Dalias Frias ran a 9:47.27 equivalent 3200m time while setting a two-mile high school record of 9:50.60. This was also faster than Touhy's record, but still not as fast as Leachman's recent times.
The fastest time ever recorded outdoors for a high school girl in the 3200m was by Brynn Brown in 2020, with a time of 9:39.91. However, this time was achieved with two male pacers (runners who help set the speed), during an unofficial practice, on a track that wasn't officially measured. It also wasn't officially timed.
So, once Elizabeth Leachman's 9:43.74 time is officially approved, it will be the new outdoor high school girls' 3200m record.
If we look at indoor tracks, Mary Cain's two-mile time of 9:38.68 in 2013 converts to a 9:35.32 3200m. This makes it the fastest 3200m split ever recorded for a high school girl indoors.
Top 17 Outdoor High School Girls' Times
This table shows the fastest 3200m times for high school girls in outdoor races.
| Time | Athlete | State | Date & Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:47.88 | Katelyn Touhy |  New York |
(Thiells North Rockland) at White Plains, NY, 5-11, 2018 |
| 09:48.59 | Kimberly Mortensen | California |
(Thousand Oaks) at Norwalk, CA, 1996 |
| 09:52.13 | Jordan Hasay | California |
(San Luis Obispo Mission Prep), 2008 |
| 09:52.51 | Laurynne Chetelat | California |
(Davis), 2008 |
| 09:53.79 | Destiny Collins | California |
(Great Oak), 2015 |
| 09:56.96 | Kayla Beattie |  Illinois |
(Woodstock), 2011 |
| 09:58.74 | Allie Ostrander |  Alaska |
(Kenai Central), 2015 |
| 09:58.77 | 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 |
*These times are from 3200m races only, not from "en route" two-mile races. They might not be completely up-to-date.
World Bests (Equivalent Times)
Sometimes, world records are set in the two-mile run, and we can figure out what the 3200m time would have been during that race. This is called an "equivalent" time.
Outdoor World Bests
- Jakob Ingebrigtsen ran an equivalent of a 7:51.35 3200m time in 2023. This happened when he set his world best of 7:54.10 in the two-mile run.
- Meseret Defar ran an equivalent of an 8:55.45 3200m time in 2007. This was during her world best of 8:58.58 in the two-mile run.
Indoor World Bests
- Josh Kerr ran an equivalent of a 7:57.89 3200m time in 2024. This was when he set his world best of 8:00.67 in the two-mile run indoors.
- Genzebe Dibaba ran an equivalent of an 8:57.34 3200m time in 2014. This happened during her world best of 9:00.48 in the two-mile run indoors.
Relays
When people talk about a "3200 metre relay," they are usually referring to the 4x800 metre relay. This is a team race where four runners each run 800 metres.
