| 1 | Ibrahim Kinuthia | KEN | 13:57,65 | Q |
| 2 | Khalid Skah | MAR | 13:58,45 | Q |
| 3 | Gary Staines | GBR | 13:58,68 | Q |
| 4 | Doug Padilla | USA | 13:58,83 | Q |
| 5 | Andrew Sambu | TAN | 13:59,01 | |
| 6 | Marti Ten Kate | NED | 13:59,51 | |
| 7 | Mikhail Dasko | URS | 13:59,71 | |
| 8 | Antonio Serrano | ESP | 13:59,75 | |
| 9 | Zeki Öztürk | TUR | 14:06,20 | |
| 10 | Jonny Danielson | SWE | 14:07,03 | |
| 11 | Valdenor Dos Santos | BRA | 14:35,00 | |
| 12 | Tsuluunbaatar Ariunsaikhan | MGL | 15:26,62 | |
| Mauricio Gonzalez | MEX | DNF | ||
| Dieudonne Lamothe | HAI | DNF | ||
| Davendra Singh Prakash | FIJ | DNS |
| 1 | Brahim Boutayeb | MAR | 13:53,75 | Q |
| 2 | Dieter Baumann | GER | 13:54,07 | Q |
| 3 | Stefano Mei | ITA | 13:54,35 | Q |
| 4 | Dionisio Castro | POR | 13:54,39 | Q |
| 5 | Ondoro Osoro | KEN | 13:54,41 | |
| 6 | Ian Hamer | GBR | 13:54,49 | |
| 7 | Slawomir Majusiak | POL | 13:57,98 | |
| 8 | Reuben Reina | USA | 13:59,19 | |
| 9 | Martín Fiz | ESP | 13:59,52 | |
| 10 | John Halvorsen | NOR | 14:14,85 | |
| 11 | Katsuhito Kumagai | JPN | 14:20,84 | |
| 12 | Gerard De Gaetano | MLT | 15:31,08 | |
| Addis Abebe | ETH | DNS | ||
| Daouda Kassougue | MTN | DNS | ||
| Lucas Eningo Elonga | GEQ | DNS |
| 1 | Fita Bayissa | ETH | 13:41,59 | Q |
| 2 | Robert Denmark | GBR | 13:46,25 | Q |
| 3 | Yobes Ondieki | KEN | 13:47,05 | Q |
| 4 | Domingos Castro | POR | 13:47,61 | Q |
| 5 | Risto Ulmala | FIN | 13:48,86 | q |
| 6 | Bob Kennedy | USA | 13:53,56 | q |
| 7 | Abel Antón | ESP | 13:53,60 | q |
| 8 | Mohamed Issangar | MAR | 13:55,49 | |
| 9 | Andrew Lloyd | AUS | 13:59,71 | |
| 10 | Frank O'Mara | IRL | 14:03,19 | |
| 11 | Kerry Rodger | NZL | 14:03,81 | |
| 12 | Yahia Azaidj | ALG | 14:43,49 | |
| 13 | Souley Oumarou | NIG | 14:52,89 | |
| 14 | Obva Elengha | CGO | 15:37,13 | |
| 15 | Abi Tayeh Charbi | LIB | 16:13,21 |