Why the ‘humble’ 5K and 10K races deserve more love
“It’s supposed to start boring, the rush will come later,” my remote coach told me. It was late in the night—a humid lockdown summer evening in 2020, the safest time to run when the quarantine patrols were more lenient with people out of their houses.
By then, I’ve returned to running for a while now. Since 2019, actually. But the sudden opening of more free time during the pandemic’s early days gave me room to wonder if I’ve been running properly. I signed up for a virtual program and laced—and braced—up, ready to be called out.
It turns out that yes, I was running wrong. I focused too much on speed, not enough on form and recovery. It seems I was setting myself up for injury, and I consider myself lucky to have signed up for this program despite it being on a whim. I had to drill into my system that starting any run slowly, whether a training session or race day, was best.
More than a humbling experience, it was eye-opening: The boring minutes, days, and seasons fuel the fire of the rush when it comes.
And yes, the rush will come.
Same sport, different focus
For many friends, 2026 started with a rush. My social media feed and stories were flush with race photos and post-race celebrations: The Ayala Philippine Marathon, the Seoul Marathon, The Bull Runner Dream Marathon for first and second-timers… If my friends weren’t running the full 42, they were toasting to a new personal best at the Half Mary.
One post, however, stood out—a friend had her “revenge run” in a 10K race. The goal was to finish the distance in under an hour. She missed the mark by a few seconds at her first try two years ago, but when she finally made it, the hype at the finish line was something else.
Her story made me reconsider my attitudes toward the less prestigious race distances, while recalling the key principle from my pandemic-era coaching sessions: The highs are always fueled by the “meh” moments, a good finish often comes after a boring start. And perhaps, I thought, a “boring” distance could offer unique challenges.
Most races that offer a full or half marathon often have 10K and 5K distances. Some might offer 16K and 32K distances, but the assumption is still to build toward a half or full marathon. Distance—that is, enduring a long distance—remains the focus.
But through my friend, I recalled that while the full marathon is an Olympic event, the Olympics as a whole also features 10K and 5K distances. The focus here was speed!
Something for everyone
If you’ve been committed to a sport or fitness routine for a while, you’re likely already familiar with the need to cross-train or do different sports or routines if you want to avoid injury or improve performance. Because if a healthy amount of space works in romance, what more in a sport?
Changing running priorities could also be a form of cross-training. Training for endurance makes different demands on the body versus training for speed. Just look at marathoner Eliud Kipchoge and sprinter Usain Bolt.
And let’s not forget our newbie days, when the 5K seemed like a dream and three kilometers was a slog.
Intermediate and veteran runners take the shorter distances for granted, precisely because we sometimes focus too much on distance when flexing on Strava. Remember when you ran your first kilometer without stopping? And when you ran five and then 10 kilometers straight? May we never forget the romance of that first love—for running, that is.
So don’t just consider the 5K or 10K a “training run distance.” Try signing up for such an event in a race offering a full or half marathon, but with a different mindset or set of goals. You never know what joys you may find in saying no to the more obvious choice.
A glorious comeback
Like my friend, I also finished 10K in under an hour in an officially measured race. From experience, it’s easier to run a 21K since you’re just cruising the miles, while the added time pressure of a 10K time trial teaches you to build not over weeks, but over months.
Training to shave off seconds for a 10K felt like the natural progression after finishing my first official marathon in 2025. Like my friend, I tried a 10K time trial in 2024, falling short in the last 200 meters.
No one really loses when finishing a marathon, but a 5K or 10K time trial has a real room for loss: You don’t just pay a fee, book a hotel, and get a medal. But that also means a comeback—and when it does happen, it happens gloriously.
Building speed versus building endurance
A unique advantage of running in an official race is a course that follows Olympic standards, and the structured, secure setting makes you worry less about road hazards (can I pet that dog?), opening up space to really focus, almost like meditating.
From my experience, building speed requires more discipline versus building endurance. It was actually done by running less while lifting and resting more.
A 10K time trial training also made me care more about nutrition. Carb-loading the night before a race wasn’t enough—I needed a body that could deliver explosive, sprinting force. And this wasn’t something you could cram. In seeking more protein minus the cholesterol, I learned to craft healthier versions of beloved dishes.
Like a well-run race, it’s supposed to seem boring at the start, but these supposedly “easy” distances make for a multitude of goals for beginner and experienced runners alike. Whether it’s building incremental endurance or developing speed by running an “easy” distance at a faster-than-usual pace, the 5K and 10K events can deliver a unique runner’s high if you let them sing the songs they were born to sing.
