Cheptegei, who also holds the world record, was in the lead for most of the race and beat everyone on the last lap at Eugene's Hawyard Field to win with a time of 27 minutes and 27.43 seconds.
Stanley Waithaka Mburu of Kenya won silver with a time of 27:27.90, and Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won bronze with a time of 27:27.97. This was an unusually close finish.
Carlo Mayo of Spain took the lead early on, and the rest of the runners quickly fell into single file.
At the 3km mark, Uganda's Stephen Kissa and Cheptegei moved to the front. Barega made a short surge at the 5km mark in 14.01, but they were quickly passed. Kiplimo put in a shift at the front, which split the pack even more into 15 separate groups. This may have been a bigger lead group than the east Africans would have liked.
As the last two laps started, Barega and Mburu shot to the front. This set up a great finish as a group of eight runners went through the bell for the last 400 meters. Cheptegei, who had been in the lead for a long time, knew exactly what he wanted to do in the race. He kicked past the two at 300 meters and easily beat everyone else down the back stretch, around the last turn, and down the home straight in a perfect display of distance running.
The reigning Olympic champion, Ethiopian Selemon Barega, came in fifth. American Grant Fisher, who came in fourth, beat him.