US distance runners do not represent their country as well as they could at the Olympics and World championships. In the history of the Olympics and World Championships distance runners have won only 8% of the medals available. Sprints, throws and jumps have won 31% of the medals available. Since 1983 distance runners medal production has fallen to 4% of the medals available.
US women have only won 11 of 249 medals available. Only 3 have won gold medals. Since 2000 only 5 women have been in the finals (top 8) of the distance events.

But this represents only the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the iceberg encompasses the thousands of young women running in high school and college in a system that encourages over-racing. All too often these young people end up injured, ill, disappointed or frustrated. They never reach their potential and most retire by age 23 or younger, at a time when they are still three years away from their best years in the sport.

Joan Benoit-Samuelson Gold Medal Womens Marathon 1984 Los Angeles