Marius Bakken is a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 runner who specializes in the 5000 metres

5000 metres

The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...

, having run distances from 800

800 metres

The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...

 to 10,000 metres in his early career. He represents IL Runar

IL Runar

Idrettslaget Runar is a Norwegian sports club from Haukerød in Sandefjord. It has sections for athletics, team handball, football and cross country skiing....

.

He finished ninth at the 2001 World Championships

2001 World Championships in Athletics

The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...

, fourteenth at the 2002 European Championships

2002 European Championships in Athletics

The 18th European Athletics Championships were held from 6 August to 11 August 2002 in the Olympic Stadium of Munich, Germany.-Track:1994 |1998 |2002 |2006 |2010 |...

 and twelfth at the 2005 World Championships

2005 World Championships in Athletics - Men's 5,000 metres

The 5000 metres at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics was held on August 11 and August 14 at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.-Medalists:-Heat 1:# Isaac Kiprono Songok, Kenya 13:20.36 Q# Tariku Bekele, Ethiopia 13:20.66 Q...

. In addition he competed at the 1999 World Championships

1999 World Championships in Athletics

The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....

 and the Olympic Games in 2000

2000 Summer Olympics

The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 and 2004

2004 Summer Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

 without success. He became Norwegian champion in 1500 m in 2001, 2003 and 2004 and in 5000 m in 2003 and 2005. Following a disappointing 2006 European Championships

2006 European Championships in Athletics

The 19th European Athletics Championships were held in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 7 August and 13 August 2006. The competition arena was the Ullevi Stadium and the official motto "Catch the Spirit"...

, Bakken announced his intentions to concentrate on medicine

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 studies in 2007.

Personal bests

• 800 metres
  800 metres
  The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
  
   - 1:51.19 min (1997)
• 1500 metres
  1500 metres
  The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
  
   - 3:38.84 min (2005) - eighth among Norwegian 1500 m runners.
• 3000 metres
  3000 metres
  The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
  
  - 7:40.77 (2001) - Norwegian record.
• 5000 metres - 13:06.39 (2004) - Norwegian record.
• 10,000 metres - 28:26.36 min (2000) - tenth among Norwegian 10,000 m runners.