| Final | time | age | | 1. Lasse Viren |  FIN | 27:40.38 | 26 | | 2. Carlos Lopes |  POR | 27:45.17 | 29 | | 3. Brendan Foster |  GBR | 27:54.92 | 28 | | 4. Anthony Simmons | GBR | 27:56.26 | 27 | | 5. Ilie Floroiu |  ROM | 27:59.93 | 23 | | 6. Mariano Haro |  SPA | 28:00.28 | 36 | | 7. Marcus Smet |  BEL | 28:02.80 | 25 | | 8. Bernard Ford | GBR | 28:17.78 | 23 | | 9. Jean-Paul Gomez |  FRA | 28:24.07 | 31 | | 10.Jos Hermens |  HOL | 28:25.04 | 26 | | 11.Karel Lismont | BEL | 28:26.48 | 27 | | 12.Christopher Wardlaw |  AUS | 28:29.91 | 26 | | 13.Garry Bjorklund |  USA | 28:38.08 | 25 | | 14.David Fitzsimons | AUS | 29:17.74 | 26 | | -.Knut Boro |  NOR | DNF | 27 | | -.Emiel Puttemans | BEL | DNF | 28 |
|
| Round | date | H | Athl. | | Heats | 23.07 | 3 | 45 |
|
| Heat 1 | time | | 1. Carlos Sousa Lopes | POR | 28:04.53 | | 2. Jean-Paul Gomez | FRA | 28:10.52 | | 3. Mariano Harocisneros |  ESP | 28:11.66 | | 4. Jos Hermens | HOL | 28:16.07 | | 5. David Fitzsimons | AUS | 28:16.43 | | 6. Bernard Ford | GBR | 28:17.26 | | 7. Karel Lismont | BEL | 28:17.45 | | 8. Martti Vainio | FIN | 28:26.60 | | 9. Dusan Janicijevic |  YUG | 28:48.87 | | 10.Edward Mendoza | USA | 29:02.97 | | 11.Victor M Mora Garcia |  COL | 30:26.57 | | 12.Christopher McCubbins |  CAN | 33:22.35 | | 13.Olmeus Charles |  HAI | 42:00.11 | | -.Adelaziz Bouguerra |  TUN | DNS | | -.Michail Kousis |  GRE | DNS |
|
|
| Heat 2 | time | | 1. Mark Smet | BEL | 28:22.07 | | 2. Brendan Foster | GBR | 28:22.19 | | 3. Knut Boro | NOR | 28:23.07 | | 4. Ilie Floroiu | ROM | 28:23.40 | | 5. Franco Fava |  ITA | 28:24.80 | | 6. Craig Virgin | USA | 28:30.22 | | 7. Edmundo Warnke |  CHI | 28:43.63 | | 8. Hari Harichand |  IND | 28:48.72 | | 9. Edward Leddy |  IRL | 28:55.29 | | 10.Tibaduiza Reyes Domingo | COL | 29:28.17 | | 11.Rodolfo Gomez |  MEX | 30:05.19 | | 12.Pierre Levisse | FRA | 32:07.84 | | -.Pekka Paivarinta | FIN | DNF | | -.Raga Al Shalawi |  KSA | DNF | | -.Abdekder Zaddem | TUN | DNS |
|
| Heat 3 | time | | 1. Anthony Simmons | GBR | 28:01.82 | | 2. Garry Bjorklund | USA | 28:12.24 | | 3. Lasse Viren | FIN | 28:14.95 | | 4. Emiel Puttemans | BEL | 28:15.52 | | 5. Christopher Wardlaw | AUS | 28:17.52 | | 6. Detlef Uhlemann |  FRG | 28:29.28 | | 7. Toshiaki Kamata |  JPN | 28:36.21 | | 8. Luis Hernandez | MEX | 28:44.17 | | 9. Dick Quax |  NZL | 28:56.92 | | 10.Dan Shaughnessy | CAN | 29:26.96 | | 11.Rault Lucien | FRA | 29:40.76 | | 12.Jose Luis Ruiz Bernal | ESP | 31:03.43 | | 13.Hossein Rabbi |  IRN | 31:44.27 | | 14.Tau John |  NGY | 32:26.96 | | -. Mohamed Gamoudi | TUN | DNS |
|
|
| 
