Middle Distance Runner was an American indie rock band from Washington, D.C.
Middle Distance Runner was founded in 1998, but the band didn't play a live show until 2005, shortly before the release of their debut album.[1] The group was an early success on Internet music websites, and credited Amie Street and MySpace with improving their visibility early in their careers.[2] Exposure on blogs, including USA Today's Pop Candy, also raised their profile.[3] By 2007, the group had received notice in national publications such as Spin and The Washington Post.[4] The group's founding bassist, Tony Acampora, left the group in the mid-2000s, and by 2007 had been replaced by Ian Glinka, a former member of the group Black Tie Revue.[5] Both their debut album, 2006's Plane in Flames, and a 2007 self-titled EP were released independently.[6] They signed with the label Engine Room Recordings for the release of 2009's The Sun & Earth.[7][8] That same year, the group played at NASA's Goddard Visitor Center with space imagery accompaniment.[9] In 2010, CNN reported that the group was "selling out shows around the country".[10]
Little was heard from the group in the early 2010s, though they performed in 2013 in the DC area.[11]