| Final | time | age | | 1. Lasse Viren |  FIN | 13:26.4 | 23 | | 2. Mohamed Gammoudi |  TUN | 13:27.4 | 34 | | 3. Ian Steward |  GBR | 13:27.6 | 23 | | 4. Steve Prefontaine |  USA | 13:28.4 | 21 | | 5. Emiel Puttemans |  BEL | 13:30.8 | 24 | | 6. Harald Norpoth |  FRG | 13:32.6 | 30 | | 7. Per Halle |  NOR | 13:34.4 | 23 | | 8. Nikola Sviridov |  URS | 13:39.4 | 34 | | 9. Frank Eisenberg |  GDR | 13:40.8 | 28 | | 10 Javier Alvarez |  ESP | 13:41.8 | 28 | | 11.lan McCafferty | GBR | 13:43.2 | 27 | | 12.David Bedford | GBR | 13:43.2 | 22 | | 13.Juha Vaatainen | FIN | 13:53.8 | 31 | | -. Mariano Haro | ESP | | 32 |
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| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Mohamed Gammoudi | TUN | 13:49.8 | | 2. David Bedford | GBR | 13:49.8 | | 3. Benjamin Jipcho |  KEN | 13:56.8 | | 4. Anders G¤rderud |  SWE | 13:57.2 | | 5. Michael Keogh |  IRL | 13:57.8 | | 6. Rene Goris | BEL | 13:57.8 | | 7. Arne Roald Risa | NOR | 14:01.6 | | 8. Takaharu Koyama |  JPN | 14:12.6 | | 9. Carlos Alberto Lopes |  POR | 14:29.6 | | 10.Nji Esau Ade |  CMR | 15:19.6 | | 11.P. C. Suppiah |  SIN | 15:36.6 | | 12.Jadour Haddou |  MAR | | 13.Siatka Badji |  SEN | | -. Daniel Korica |  YUG |
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| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Emiel Puttemans | BEL | 13:31.8 | | 2. Steve Prefontaine | USA | 13:32.6 | | 3. Harald Norpoth | FRG | 13:33.4 | | 4. Javier Alvarez | ESP | 13:36.6 | | 5. Grant McLaren |  CAN | 13:43.8 | | 6. N. Pedro Miranda |  MEX | 13:45.2 | | 7. Vladimir Afonin | URS | 14:08.6 | | 8. Raymond Zembri |  FRA | 14:34.4 | | 9. Dick Quax |  NZL | 14:35.2 | | 10.Gert Kaerulin |  DEN | 14:39.2 | | 11.Lopez Carlos Cuque |  GUA | 15:53.4 | | -. Mikhail Jelev |  BUL | | -. Angel Perez Rafael |  CRC | | -. Kerry O'Brian |  AUS |
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| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Ian McCafferty | GBR | 13:38.2 | | 2. Frank Eisenberg | GDR | 13:38.4 | | 3. Per Halle | NOR | 13:38.6 | | 4. Dusan Moravcik |  TCH | 13:40.4 | | 5. Paul Mose | KEN | 13:41.4 | | 6. Tapio Kantanen | FIN | 13:42.0 | | 7. Anthony Benson | AUS | 13:42.8 | | 8. Boualem Rahoui |  ALG | 13:45.0 | | 9. Tekle Fitinsa |  ETH | 13:50.4 | | 10.Richard Tayler | NZL | 13:56.2 | | 11.Edward Sequeira |  IND | 14:01.4 | | 12.John Hartnett | IRL | 14:34.6 | | 13.Abdal Almabrouk |  --- | 15:51.0 | | -.Jos Hermens |  NED |
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| Heat 4 | time | | 1. Juha Vaatainen | FIN | 13:32.8 | | 2. Ian Stewart | GBR | 13:33.0 | | 3. Mariano Haro | ESP | 13:35.4 | | 4. Tolossa Kotu | ETH | 13:46.2 | | 5. Willy Polleunis | BEL | 13:52.6 | | 6. Nikola Puklakov | URS | 13:57.6 | | 7. S. Mario Perez | MEX | 13:58.2 | | 8. Leonard Hilton | USA | 14:07.2 | | 9. Wolfgang Riesinger | FRG | 14:15.2 | | 10.Knut Borod | NOR | 14:15.8 | | 11.J¸rn Lauenbourg | DEN | 14:18.8 | | 12.Evans Mogaka | KEN | 14:37.2 | | 13.Ngwila Musonda | ZAM | 14:37.4 | | -. Ardelham Khamis | EGY |
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| Heat 5 | time | | 1. Lasse Viren | FIN | 13:38.4 | | 2. Nikola Sviridov | URS | 13:38.4 | | 3. Josef Jansky | TCH | 13:39.8 | | 4. George Young | USA | 13:41.2 | | 5. Edmundo Warnke | CHI | 13:43.6 | | 6. Robert Finlay | CAN | 13:44.0 | | 7. Keisuke Sawaki | JPN | 13:44.8 | | 8. Bron Malinowski | POL | 13:48.2 | | 9. J¼rgen May | FRG | 14:06.6 | | 10.Gavin Thorley | NZL | 14:11.6 | | 11.Hikmet Sen | TUR | 14:26.0 | | 12.Fritz R¼gsegger | SUI | 14:54.4 | | 13.Usaia Sotutu | FIJ | 15:24.2 | | -. Merus Yifter | ETH | | -. Crispin Quispe | BOL |
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