| Final | time | | | 1. Brendan Foster |  GBR | 13:17.2/21 | CR | | 2. Manfred Kuschmann |  GDR | 13:23.0/93 | NR | | 3. Lasse Virén |  FIN | 13:24.6/57 | | | 4. Jos Hermens |  NED | 13:25.6/51 | NR | | 5. Ilie Floroiu |  ROU | 13:27.2/12 | NR | | 6. Arne Kvalheim |  NOR | 13:27.2/23 | | | 7. Stanislav Hoffman |  TCH | 13:29.0/03 | | | 8. Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand |  FRG | 13:31.0/93 | | | 9. Vladimir Zatonskiy |  URS | 13:39.6 | | | 10.Petar Svet |  YUG | 13:41.6 | | | 11.Knut Børø | NOR | 13:45.8 | | | 12.Pavel Pěnkava | TCH | 14:00.6 | | | 13.Pekka Päivärinta | FIN | 14:14.2 | | | 14.Knut Kvalheim | NOR | 14:19.0 | | | 15.Willy Polleunis |  BEL | 14:23.2 | |
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Heats - Friday 06.09 19:10 | | First 4 and Best 3 progress. |
| Heat 1 | time | | | 1. Willy Polleunis | BEL | 13:38.6 | Q | | 2. Knut Børø | NOR | 13:38.6 | Q | | 3. Pavel Pěnkava | TCH | 13:38.8 | Q | | 4. Manfred Kuschmann | GDR | 13:39.2 | Q | | 5. David Black | GBR | 13:41.8 | | | 6. Fernando Cerrada |  ESP | 13:56.8 | | | 7. Werner Meier |  SUI | 14:05.4 | | | 8. Mihaíl Koúsis |  GRE | 14:07.0 | | | -. Aniceto Simões |  POR | DNF | |
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| Heat 2 | time | | | 1. Pekka Päivärinta | FIN | 13:56.6s | Q | | 2. Knut Kvalheim | NOR | 13:56.8s | Q | | 3. Stanislav Hoffman | TCH | 13:59.4s | Q | | 4. Vladimir Zatonskiy | URS | 14:01.4s | Q | | 5. Henryk Nogala |  POL | 14:07.0s | | | 6. Chris Stewart | GBR | 14:17.2s | | | 7. Eamonn Coghlan |  IRL | 14:29.6s | | | -. Léon Schots | BEL | DNF | |
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| Heat 3 | time | | | 1. Brendan Foster | GBR | 13:37.0 | Q | | 2. Jos Hermens | NED | 13:37.4 | Q | | 3. Knut Kvalheim | NOR | 13:37.8 | Q | | 4. Lasse Virén | FIN | 13:38.2 | Q | | 5. Ilie Floroiu | ROU | 13:39.0 | q | | 6. Petar Svet | YUG | 13:40.8 | q | | 7. Klaus-Peter Hildenbrand | FRG | 13:41.4 | q | | 8. Christian Cairoche |  FRA | 13:59.6 | | | -. Eddy Van Mullem | BEL | DNF | |
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