Competitiveness is an attribute that many coaches are interested in, and competitive orientation has been researched among many athletes. For example, differences in competitiveness have been examined among athletes and non-athletes and among athletes at different competitive levels (e.g., Ruan, 1991), from different cultures (e.g., Kang, et al., 1995), between different ages (Gill, et al., 1996), and between genders (e.g., Czech, et al., 2002). Typically, this research shows that the higher the level, the more competitive; also, males tend to be more competitive than females. Given these findings, it was interesting that previous research had not examined this construct exclusively in distance runners. Distance running is different that most sports in that it is an individual event where there can only be one winner in a race of up to several hundred athletes. And, within any race, the runner is competing against him or herself, as well as the field. Personal bests, regardless of where they fall in relation to other competitors' times, are a measure of success, as well. Due to these differences, this study was designed to examine gender differences in distance runners. Participants consisted of 127 (64 male, 63 female) intercollegiate distance runners (1500m and above) recruited from nine NCAA Division II and NAIA schools in the Midwest. Surveys, consisting of the Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ; Gill & Deeter, 1988), were mailed to head coaches, who then distributed them to their teams. Pre-paid envelopes were provided to coaches for survey return. To determine whether differences existed between male and female runners in the three subscales of the SOQ (competitiveness, win orientation, goal orientation), independent samples t-tests were run. With respect to competitiveness, a significant difference existed, t (109.202) = -.0865, p = .000; men (m = 4.67, sd = 0.334) scored significantly higher than women (m = 4.23, sd = 0.490). With respect to win orientation, again, a significant difference existed, t (125) = -3.56, p = .001; men (m = 4.05, sd = 0.708) scored significantly higher than women (m = 3.58, sd = 0.787). And finally, with respect to goal orientation, no significant difference was found, t (125) = -0.865, p = .388; men (m = 4.60, sd = 0.445) and women (m = 4.53, sd = 0.465) scored similarly in this area. These findings are congruent with previous research, and support the need for approaching female and male athletes with these differences in mind.Keyword(s): coaching, college level issues, performance