| 1 | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (Senior) | GER | 4:00.34 | TR | - |
| 2 | Anni Friesinger (Senior) | GER | 4:01.98 | SB | +1.640 |
| 3 | Claudia Pechstein (Senior) | GER | 4:02.13 | | +1.790 |
| 4 | Cindy Klassen (Neo) | CAN | 4:02.41 | NR | +2.070 |
| 5 | Maki Tabata (Senior) | JPN | 4:03.74 | NR | +3.400 |
| 6 | Barbara de Loor (Senior) | NED | 4:04.56 | NR | +4.220 |
| 7 | Renate Groenewold (Senior) | NED | 4:05.64 | SB | +5.300 |
| 8 | Varvara Barysjeva (Senior) | RUS | 4:05.73 | NR | +5.390 |
| 9 | Jennifer Rodriguez (Senior) | USA | 4:06.63 | | +6.290 |
| 10 | Li Song (Neo) | CHN | 4:07.01 | NR | +6.670 |
| 11 | Clara Hughes (Senior) | CAN | 4:07.31 | SB | +6.970 |
| 12 | Ljudmila Prokasjeva (Senior) | KAZ | 4:07.54 | | +7.200 |
| 13 | Natalja Polozkova-Kozlova (Senior) | RUS | 4:08.60 | PB | +8.260 |
| 14 | Kristina Groves (Senior) | CAN | 4:09.31 | | +8.970 |
| 15 | Nami Nemoto (Senior) | JPN | 4:09.82 | | +9.480 |
| 16 | Eriko Seo (Neo) | JPN | 4:11.31 | | +10.970 |
| 17 | Svetlana Vysokova (Senior) | RUS | 4:11.38 | SB | +11.040 |
| 18 | Tonny de Jong (Senior) | NED | 4:12.75 | | +12.410 |
| 19 | Catherine Raney (Neo) | USA | 4:16.03 | | +15.690 |
| 20 | Katarzyna Wójcicka (Neo) | POL | 4:16.54 | NR | +16.200 |
| 21 | Emese Dörfler-Antal (Senior) | AUT | 4:18.23 | | +17.890 |
| 22 | Ann Driscoll (Neo) | USA | 4:19.64 | | +19.300 |