This is why world records in long-distance running are not typically achieved at big events, where winning is all that matters. They are usually attempted at s

This is why world records in long-distance running are not typically achieved at big events, where winning is all that matters. They are usually attempted at smaller events, coordinating with other runners ("hares") to achieve the perfect pace, without having to worry about the result (hares will typically drop out throughout the race). If you want to see what happens when the favourites run a little too hard a little too early, check out the 1500m final: Ingebrigtsen and Kerr were supposed to slug it out between themselves, but they both pushed too early (Ingebrigtsen unwisely pulling from the front most of the time), so they got to the sprint too tired to match the surging Hocker.