A 10,000-metre race on a standard 400-metre outdoor track consists of 25 laps.
The calculation is direct: 10,000 metres divided by 400 metres per lap equals 25 laps. Races generally begin from a curved starting line, so competitors do not all start side by side across the same point of the track. After the starting phase, athletes run counterclockwise around the oval.
The 10,000 metres is the longest standard track event contested at the Olympic Games. It differs from the marathon, which is a road race over 42.195 kilometres, and from the 5,000 metres, which covers 12.5 laps on a 400-metre track.
The event was introduced to the Olympic programme for men in 1912. Women’s Olympic 10,000-metre competition began in 1988 at Seoul. Distance runners must combine pace control, endurance and tactical positioning, especially when a fast final lap decides the medals.