3000 METRES

The '3000 metres' is a popular amateur middle distance track event (colloquially known as "3k") where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is classified as middle distance, however this could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and 10000 metres. Usually in American high schools a 3200 meter race is used rather than a 3000 meter, as 3200 meters is roughly 2 miles, and is frequently referred to as the "two-mile."
In men's athletics, 3000 metres has never been an Olympic discipline, nor has it been contested at any of the IAAF-organized championships. On the European professional circuit, the 3000 metres is run less frequently than other distance events such as the 5000 m and 3000 m steeplechase, but it is still a fairly oft-run and prestigious event at the athletics meetings.
In women's athletics, 3000 meters was a standard discipline at the Olympic Games and World Championships until the mid-1990s. Starting with the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 1996 Olympic Games, it was replaced by 5000 meters, with other IAAF-organized championships following suit.
Both the indoor and outdoor world records in the 3000 m are held by Daniel Komen, and are considered two of the most difficult in the books.