5000m.(WR)-Dave Moorcroft,1982.Oslo

Moorcroft seemed to spend most of his running career on the sidelines with various injury issues,but when in form he was one of the greats. Here ,front running, (the last middle distance WR without any pacemakers?) he wallops Henry Rono's previous 5000m.WR time by 5.79 seconds to come tantalisingly close to the first sub 13 minute clocking over the distance.

[@hoople53]

I'd forgotten just how strong he looked the whole way. Absolute class.

[@redd605]

Took the lead, two laps from the start , of the race remarkable , so 10 laps to go , but his British 3,000metres was remarkable at the time, which mo Farah only beat by a few 10thof a second.. golden period for British world records,800,1000,1500,1mile, 2mile,5000

[@adrianroyle4425]

I was there, half a lap behind though. Awesome performance by Dave!!!!

[@dafengpei2410]

哇！

[@jonathansutcliffe3411]

AND I CANT BELIEVE THAT MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNING HAS COME TO SUCH A LOW EBB... THAT AND LONG DISTANCE RUNNING... THERE'S NO CONSISTANCY OR COHERENCE... AFTER MO THEN WHAT?????

[@simonlennox3997]

Callum Hawkins and Andy Butchart

[@jonathansutcliffe3411]

?

[@simonlennox3997]

Jonathan Sutcliffe After Mo these guys are the next thing in British Long distance.

[@mogermania]

Still to date...this is one of the greatest races by a Brit and a great guy!! Brilliant David....just brilliant.

[@Lovewalk1]

In my opinion this run eclipses even the best of runs by Mo Farah. For so long DM was running on his own...no pacemakers, no one to shield him from the wind. A runner who, like Kelly Holmes, deserved success after so many injuries. A gentleman and what an ambassador for sport, let alone just athletics. Martin Evans

[@redd605]

@@Lovewalk1 I agree because the 3,000 metres mo only just beat it by a few hundred.

[@alanpritchard224]

He is a total legend and should be placed as highly as Cram, Coe and Ovett in terms of his stature in British Athletics.

[@LPCLASSICAL]

No. David was great but his achievements do not put him on that level. Ovett and Coe were both olympic champions and multiple world record holders. Cram won the world champs in 1983 and also set several world records. Moorcroft's superstar year was 1982 when sadly he failed to win the Euro 5000M despite being the world record holder. But glad he was there in 82 - a bad year for Coe and Ovett due to illness/injury.

[@alanpritchard224]

@@LPCLASSICAL Nonsense, an almost 6 second world record and the last non african to break the WR over 5000m puts him firmly in that category. Look at his range from 800 upwards. A mixture or poor preparation illness and injury robbed him of further glory.

[@LPCLASSICAL]

@@alanpritchard224 Coe won 2 olympic gold - 2 olympic silvers 1 european gold plus 8 world outdoor records and 3 indoor world records pus general dominance lasting 6-7 years. Moorcroft set 1 world record and has 2 commonwealth golds and had 1 great year when he was arguably the best 5K runner yet despite this failed to win the european gold when he had a chance. We don't assess athletes on what they might have achieved but what they did achieve. Moorcroft was great - but a level down from the big 3 - but you are free to disagree.

[@gunternetzer9621]

@@LPCLASSICAL Beating Filbert Bayi at 1500m at the Commonwealth Games in 1978 wasn't bad. I'd be dining out on that for the rest of my life!

[@sundromos9456]

@@alanpritchard224 This one race doesn't make a career. I'm guessing that you don't give much credence to performance in world (and Olympic) championships then. That's a lower bar you're using, and invites in a whole raft of other folks you've got to consider to bring in with Moorcroft. Coe, Ovett and Cram simply dominated in race after race and year after year, during the height of their powers. Moorcroft was seriously excellent, but not enduringly world dominant. I don't mean to diminish his career, but I lived through (and competed during) that period and I can tell you T&F fans from all over the globe would jump at the chance to see Coe or Ovett race in person-they were simply that astonishing. Moorcroft not so much...although certainly, this race was was a wonder and a pleasure to watch here on YT.

[@alansamuel2454]

What makes this even better is that he didn't have any pacemakers.

[@redd605]

what a great period for athletics back in 70s and 80s,when athlete went early in races, to run fast times and this is won of my favourite records, great commentary by Ron Pickering makes this great to watch ,wish ,could watch it from the start.

[@rampart6557]

Incredible guts and drive by Moorcroft. Brilliant.

[@gary1961]

Prefontaine used to talk about guts and front-running. Moorcroft here was the epitome of both. Prefontaine would have admired this run from Moorcroft if he'd still been alive.

[@williamfoy599]

Steve Prefontaine died aged 24.

[@paulrispin4989]

One of the best performances on the track by a British athlete I have ever seen

[@paulrispin4989]

The late great Ron Pickering in the commentary box. Legend too.

[@rc2869]

Great Run by an all time GB running great. Too many injuries alas

[@markshaw5018]

A 3.49 miler to 5000m speed and strength one of the best WR on the track in the 1980s

[@sundromos9456]

And 1:46 800.

[@gemsdiamond2002]

Pity that he wasn't rewarded with a medal. Moorcroft was a great runner!

[@virgilioisaaccabreravelazq8842]

Una de las más grandes carreras que jamás haya visto; en solitario, luchando contra la distancia y el tiempo, el epítome del corredor de fondo. Un grande Moorcroft!!!

[@simonedwards5564]

WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE..PLEASE..THIS LEGENDARY RACE FROM STAR TO FINISH NOT JUST THE LAST TWO LAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COME ON !!!!!!!!

[@alansamuel2454]

What most don't know about is his versatility. He has a 1:46 800 m and a 3:33 1500 m. That 1500 m made him also one of the best 1500 m runners at that time.

[@SirPeter6464]

He was a very consistent runner at all distances. Just a shame he didn't have a killer kick. Still very active in Coventry.

[@alansamuel2454]

@@SirPeter6464 Yes unfortunately to win a title a kick is required in most cases. He didn't have that. Same case for Ron Clarke.They could only win when the pace was hard from gun to tape.

[@SirPeter6464]

@@alansamuel2454 good shout out for Ron Clarke. An athlete beyond what he achieved on the track. But, and I say this with sadness, gears win races at all levels.

[@alansamuel2454]

@@SirPeter6464 Exactly. Ron Clarke had WR's but when it came to titles as you said you need gears. If the pack sets a slow pace then the even paced runners suffer.

[@ynotnilknarf39]

@@alansamuel2454 Even paced runners suffer because they cannot adapt to run the best race that suits their style, it's a tragedy seeing so many great runners over the years losing out because of their fear of running their own race in big events that would increase the chances of winning significantly.

[@0132222]

a stunning run... one the best in modern times..the other being Coe's 1-41 800m record.

[@runcaz7802]

Gebresselasy 12:44 Zurich 1995 took 12 seconds off.

[@alansamuel2454]

I agree with everything except the modern part.

[@alansamuel2454]

@@runcaz7802 Geb was the king of distance running. From the 2 mile all the way up to the marathon. His career was breaking WR's, winning titles and always having a great final kick and a great smile after each victory.

[@simonedwards5564]

@@runcaz7802 THE EPO ERA THAT WENT UNTESTED AND UNQUESTIONED!!!!!!!!!

[@gunternetzer9621]

@@alansamuel2454 Kip Keino could rival him - 800 to 10,000m and the Steeplechase.

[@sundromos9456]

That's an insanely fast 5000 to run solo. Presumably he may have had some sense of his splits (I didn't look to see if anyone was helping with that) but no matter...that was impressive. 13 minutes flat would still place him near the lead of most of the elite 5000's run today.

[@sanderslongdrive]

In my mind the greatest ever single middle distance run by a Brit. It arguably was matched in field events by Jonathan Edwards in 1995. (The clean air of Scandanavia?) As for multiple performaces - of course Mo. Farrer's record will almost certainly never be beaten.

[@jmgreatrex]

Well done Dave.

[@Hertzultra]

Bloody heckers 6 seconds what a great run... i forgot about this man.. ifatimer Whitbred, seb coe, Jeff Capes, wanter Ina, Judy garland Wesly Snipes .... lolol i been drinking

[@lanagorgeous9485]

If Moorcroft had this year in 1984, he would be Olympic champ in the 5,000. IN 82 he was invincible!

[@laureniobeserra3722]

Foi uma vitória sensacional!👏👏👏

[@lesliemcdermott2440]

Incredible!!

[@leeboyce3083]

He was a legend!!!! 🇬🇧

[@sedwards8870]

Adrian royal you are a legend too yeeeeeeeaàaahhhhhhh !!!!!!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@3553colbe]

i was seventeen years old and i was end of high scool . i had surprised .

[@human777]

what running is all about

[@figo88figo]

with proper pacing / drafting, in monaco, this is a 12:50 effort.

[@selcoboy]

Think its fair to say that if someone knocked 6 seconds of a world record nowadays the whispers and rumors would start about PEDS

[@shanereilly1477]

He could have broken 13 that would have been some Roger banister level shit

[@lusardi01]

Wow David !!

[@bear1568]

2 min flat, last 800. Wow

[@alansamuel2454]

Something very few even athletes can do.

[@smudgerpugs]

The best

[@markjones8775]

all the other runners,consider yourselves destroyed!

[@mikenealon4042]

almost sub 13! what happened to moorcroft between this record & the Los Angeles 1984 olympic games?

[@AthletixStuffChannel]

Moorcroft didn't have much luck with the Olympics..1980 he had a stomach upset and went out in the semis and' 84 picked up a groin injury.. damned fine runner when at his best though...

[@darrenjohnbryant51]

Great Britain

[@APBCTechnique]

With weights, plyometrics and long hills/short hills, like Coe did, a bit of a stronger Morecroft would have been a sub 3.47 miler and stronger less injury prone runner 🏃‍♂️

[@peterh1353]

Two Davids. Moorcroft and Bedford. Explain how their careers differed?

[@sundromos9456]

I'm an American, so bear with me. Bedford, a great cross country champion, was primarily a steeple and a 5k and 10K specialist, holding the 10K world record at one time. Moorcroft was a middle distance runner with great speed at 800 and 1500 in addition to setting this record at 5000. So what's my prize?

[@peterh1353]

@@sundromos9456 Bedford was a bi-word in England for people who promise a lot and deliver nothing! Moorcroft was probably the toughest guy of his day. He could run hard longer than anyone I ever saw. There was more talented athletes, but he could run at his limits as well as anyone.

[@SheridanWhiteside]

Was Alberto Salazar in that race?

[@cesarcoelho7227]

Eugene Livingston is this a real question ? Watch the race . I guess is ....no

[@MrGranfield]

1982 when British distance runners lapped Kenyans!

[@sallysmith1484]

Ron Pickering is commentating on this. He's long dead of course. If there were two British athletes competing against each other, one white and one black, Ron would alway support the black guy. And oh how much he disrespected Zola Budd when she was only 17 and he was a flabby ugly talentless troll! Ron was not an objective commentator.

[@horseracingstuff]

I suspect the only troll is you.

[@simonedwards8888]

Sally Smith ron Pickering was a legend you racist talentless bitch!!!!!!!!!! He suppored white and black!!!!!!! The poor guy passed away and you slander him? Ron Pickering????? Champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@markhiggins8315]

Something rather unsavory about your comments, on several fronts.

[@keithf_]

What a disgusting post ! Go and crawl back under that stone.