The first pronunciation follows the general pattern in English (as in the UK) whereby metric units of measurement are pronounced with the stress on the 1st syllable, and preserves the pronunciation of meter. The second pronunciation, which places the stress on the 2nd syllable, is more commonly used in science (i.e., follow the pattern of measuring instruments such as barometer, thermometer, speedometer, etc.).
Ok, so which do I "prefer"? THE SECOND! Yes, maybe it's because I've taken far more Math/Science versus English classes (only two since graduating high school), but the first pronunciation sounds like nails on a chalkboard to me. I mean, I listen to the BBC World Service a lot because the news sounds more interesting when read with a British accent. However, I scream and yell the "correct" pronunciation every time I hear a reporter use the "wrong" one (which they always do). I don't know, the first sounds like a measure of death to me... kill-oh-meter... but I guess longer races would rank higher on that scale... although it's depressing to think of a 10K as having five more units of death than a 5K... maybe I'll just stick with 'k'!
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