Mile run

The mile run (1,760 yards[1] or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race.

For the tributary stream, see Mile Run (New Jersey).
"One mile" redirects here. For other uses, see One Mile.

Athletics
Mile run
Gunder Hägg (right) defeats Arne Andersson with a world record for the mile of 4:06.2 min in Gothenburg in 1942.
World records
Men Hicham El Guerrouj 3:43.13 (1999)
Women Sifan Hassan 4:12.33 (2019)

The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races. It survived track and field's switch to metric distances in the 1900s and retained its popularity, with the chase for the four-minute mile in the 1950s a high point for the race.

In spite of the roughly equivalent 1500 metres race, the mile run is present in all fields of athletics and it remains the only imperial distance for which the IAAF records an official world record. Although the mile does not feature at any major championship competition, the Wanamaker Mile, Dream Mile, and Bowerman Mile races are among the foremost annual middle-distance races indoors and outdoors, respectively.

The current mile world record holders are Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj with a time of 3:43.13 and Sifan Hassan of The Netherlands with the women's record of 4:12.33.

The record for the fastest mile ever run in any course is held by Craig Wheeler, who ran a downhill mile in 1993 in a time of 3:24.[2] Wheeler’s time is not an officially recognized record however due to the downhill grade of the course he ran.

History

The distance of the English mile gained its current definition of 1,760 yards through a statute of the Parliament of England in 1593.[3] Thus, the history of the mile run began in England and it initially found usage within the wagered running contests of the 18th and 19th century. Such contests would attract large numbers of spectators and gamblers – so many that the activity became a professional one for its more-established participants.[4]

The mile run was at the heart of the divide between professional and amateur sports in the late 19th century. Separate world record categories were kept for amateurs and professionals, with professional runners providing the faster times. High-profile contests between Britons William Cummings and Walter George brought much publicity to the sport, as did George's races against the American Lon Myers. The mile run was also one of the foremost events at the amateur AAA Championships.[4] The categories remained distinct but the respective rise in amateurism and decline of the professional sector saw the division become irrelevant in the 20th century.[5]

A statue commemorating Roger Bannister and John Landy's Miracle Mile in 1954.

The mile run continued to be a popular distance in spite of the metrication of track and field and athletics in general. It was the 1500 metres – sometimes referred to as the metric mile – which was featured on the Olympic athletics programme. The International Amateur Athletics Federation formed in 1912 and ratified the first officially recognised world record in the mile the following year (4:14.4 minutes run by John Paul Jones).[6] The fact that the mile run was the only imperial distance to retain its official world record status after 1970 reflects its continued popularity in the international (and principally metric) era.[7]

The top men's middle distance runners continued to compete in the mile run in the first half of the 1900s – Paavo Nurmi, Jack Lovelock and Sydney Wooderson were all world record holders over the distance.[6] In the 1940s, Swedish runners Gunder Hägg and Arne Andersson pushed times into a new territory, as they set three world records each during their rivalry over the decade.[8] The act of completing a sub-four-minute mile sparked further interest in the distance in the 1950s. Englishman Roger Bannister became the first person to achieve the feat in May 1954 and his effort, conducted with the help of Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, was a key moment in the rise of the use of pacemakers at the top level of the sport – an aspect which is now commonplace at non-championship middle and long-distance races.[9][10]

Augustine Choge running the Dream Mile in Oslo in 2008.

The 1960s saw American Jim Ryun set world records near the 3:50-minute mark and his achievements popularised interval workout techniques.[8] From this period onwards, African runners began to emerge, breaking the largely white, Western dominance of the distance. Kenya's Kip Keino won the mile at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (which was among the last mile races to be held at a major multi-sport event).[11] Filbert Bayi of Tanzania became Africa's first world record holder over the distance in 1975, although New Zealander John Walker broke the record further a few months later to become the first man under 3:50 minutes for the event. The 1980s was highlighted by the rivalry between British runners Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, who improved the record five times between them, including two records at the Oslo Dream Mile race. Noureddine Morceli brought the mile record back into African hands in 1993 and Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj set the current record of 3:43.13, which has stood since 1999.[6]

Mile run contests remain a key feature of many annual track and field meetings, with long-running series such as the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, Dream Mile at the Bislett Games, the British Emsley Carr Mile, and the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic being among the most prominent. Aside from track races, mile races are also occasionally contested in cross country running and mile runs on the road include the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City

Records
See also: Mile run world record progression
Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj (left) is the world record holder for the outdoor mile.

Outdoor
Area Men's Women's
Time Athlete Time Athlete
World3:43.13 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)4:12.33 Sifan Hassan (NED)
Continental records
Africa3:43.13 Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)4:16.71 Faith Kipyegon (KEN)
Asia3:47.97 Daham Najim Bashir (QAT)4:17.75 Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)
Europe3:46.32 Steve Cram (GBR)4:12.33 Sifan Hassan (NED)
North, Central America
and Caribbean		3:46.91 Alan Webb (USA)4:16.71 Mary Slaney (USA)
Oceania3:48.98 Craig Mottram (AUS)4:21.40 Linden Hall (AUS)
South America3:51.05 Hudson de Souza (BRA)4:30.05 Soraya Vieira Telles (BRA)

Indoor
Area Men's Women's
Time Athlete Time Athlete
World3:47.01 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH)4:13.31 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)
Continental records
Africa3:47.01 Yomif Kejelcha (ETH)4:13.31 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)
Asia3:57.05 Mohamed Suleiman (QAT)4:24.71 Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)
Europe3:49.78 Eamonn Coghlan (IRL)4:17.14 Doina Melinte (ROM)
North, Central America
and Caribbean		3:49.89 Bernard Lagat (USA)4:16.85 Elle Purrier (USA)
Oceania3:51.46 Nick Willis (NZL)4:24.14 Kim Smith (NZL)
South America3:56.26 Hudson de Souza (BRA)4:42.24 Valentina Medina (VEN)

All-time top 25
Steve Cram's former world record set in 1985 still makes him the fourth fastest ever.
  • i = indoor performance
  • ht = hand timing
Runners competing in the Women's Mile at the Adidas Boost Boston Games in 2019.

Men
  • Correct as of March 2019.[12]
Rank Time Athlete Nation Date Place Ref
1 3:43.13 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 7 July 1999 Golden Gala
2 3:43.40 Noah Ngeny  Kenya
3 3:44.39Noureddine Morceli Algeria5 September 1993Rieti Meeting
4 3:46.32Steve Cram Great Britain27 July 1985Bislett Games
5 3:46.38 Daniel Komen  Kenya 26 August 1997 ISTAF Berlin
6 3:46.70 Vénuste Niyongabo  Burundi
7 3:46.76Saïd Aouita Morocco2 July 1987Helsinki
8 3:46.91Alan Webb United States21 July 2007Brasschaat
9 3:47.01i Yomif Kejelcha  Ethiopia 3 March 2019 Boston [13]
10 3:47.28Bernard Lagat  Kenya 29 June 2001Golden Gala
11 3:47.32 Ayanleh Souleiman  Djibouti 31 May 2014 Eugene [14]
12 3:47.33Sebastian Coe Great Britain28 August 1981Brussels
13 3:47.65Laban Rotich  Kenya 4 July 1997Oslo
14 3:47.69Steve Scott United States7 July 1982Oslo
15 3:47.79José Luis González Spain27 July 1985Oslo
16 3:47.88John Kibowen  Kenya 4 July 1997Oslo
3:47.88Silas Kiplagat  Kenya 31 May 2014Eugene
18 3:47.94William Chirchir  Kenya 28 July 2000 Oslo
19 3:47.97Dahame Najem Bashir Qatar29 July 2005Oslo
20 3:48.17Paul Korir  Kenya 8 August 2003London
21 3:48.23Ali Saidi-Sief Algeria13 July 2001Oslo
22 3:48.28 Daniel Kipchirchir Komen  Kenya 10 June 2007 Eugene
23 3:48.38 Andrés Manuel Díaz  Spain 29 June 2001 Rome
24 3:48.40 Steve Ovett  Great Britain 26 August 1981 Koblenz
William Kemei  Kenya 21 August 1992 Berlin

Notes

Below is a list of all other times superior to 3:48.00:

  • Hicham El Guerrouj also ran 3:44.60 (1998), 3:44.90 (1997), 3:44.95 (2001),3:45.64 (1997), 3:45.96 (2000), 3:46.24 (2000), 3:47.10 (1999) and 3:47.91 (2000).
  • Noah Ngeny also ran 3:47.67 (2000)
  • Noureddine Morceli also ran 3:45.19 (1995), 3:46.78 (1993), 3:47.30 (1993), 3:47.78 (1993)
  • Daniel Komen also ran 3:47.85 (1997)
  • Saïd Aouita also ran 3:46.92 (1985)

Women
  • Correct as of July 2019.[15]
Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan is the 12th fastest woman over the mile.
Rank Time Athlete Nation Date Place Ref
1 4:12.33 Sifan Hassan  Netherlands 12 July 2019 Monaco [16]
2 4:12.56Svetlana Masterkova Russia14 August 1996Zürich
3 4:13.31 i Genzebe Dibaba  Ethiopia 17 February 2016 Stockholm [17]
4 4:15.61Paula Ivan Romania10 July 1989Nice
5 4:15.8Natalya Artyomova Soviet Union5 August 1984Leningrad
6 4:16.14 Gudaf Tsegay  Ethiopia 22 July 2018 London [18]
7 4:16.15 Hellen Obiri  Kenya 22 July 2018 London [18]
8 4:16.71Mary Slaney United States21 August 1985Zürich
4:16.71Faith Kipyegon Kenya11 September 2015Brussels[19]
10 4:16.85 i Elle Purrier  United States 8 February 2020 New York City [20]
11 4:17.14 i Doina Melinte  Romania 9 February 1990 East Rutherford
12 4:17.25Sonia O'Sullivan Ireland22 July 1994Oslo
13 4:17.26 i Konstanze Klosterhalfen  Germany 8 February 2020 New York City [21]
14 4:17.30 Jenny Simpson  United States 22 July 2018 London [18]
15 4:17.33Maricica Puica Romania21 August 1985Zürich
16 4:17.57Zola Budd Great Britain21 August 1985Zürich
17 4:17.60 Laura Weightman  Great Britain 12 July 2019 Monaco [22]
18 4:17.75Maryam Yusuf Jamal Bahrain14 September 2007Brussels
19 4:17.87 Gabriela DeBues-Stafford  Canada 12 July 2019 Monaco [23]
20 4:17.88 i Jemma Reekie  Great Britain 8 February 2020 New York City [24]
21 4:18.03 Laura Muir  Great Britain 9 July 2017 London [25]
22 4:18.23Gelete Burka Ethiopia7 September 2008Rieti Meeting
23 4:18.42 Rababe Arafi  Morocco 12 July 2019 Monaco [26]
24 4:18.58 Axumawit Embaye  Ethiopia 12 July 2019 Monaco
25 4:18.65 Winnie Nanyondo  Uganda 12 July 2019 Monaco [28]

Notes

Below is a list of other times superior to 4:18.65:

All-time top 19, indoor

Men
  • Correct as of March 2019.[29]
Rank Time Athlete Nation Date Place Ref
1 3:47.01 Yomif Kejelcha  Ethiopia 3 March 2019 Boston University Track and Tennis Center [13]
2 3:48.45Hicham El Guerrouj Morocco12 February 1997Indoor Flanders Meeting
3 3:49.44 Edward Cheserek  Kenya 9 February 2018 David Hemery Valentine Invitational [30]
4 3:49.78Eamonn Coghlan Ireland27 February 1983Meadowlands Arena
5 3:49.89Bernard Lagat United States11 February 2005Randal Tyson Track Center
6 3:49.98 Johnny Gregorek  United States 3 March 2019 Boston University Track and Tennis Center [13]
7 3:50.63Matthew Centrowitz United States20 February 2016Fort Washington Avenue Armory
8 3:50.70Noureddine Morceli Algeria20 February 1993Arena Birmingham
9 3:50.92Galen Rupp United States26 January 2013Boston University Track and Tennis Center
10 3:50.94 Marcus O'Sullivan  Ireland 13 February 1988 Meadowlands Arena
Sam Prakel  United States 3 March 2019 Boston University Track and Tennis Center [31]
12 3:51.06Nick Willis New Zealand20 February 2016Millrose Games
13 3:51.20Ray Flynn Ireland27 February 1983Meadowlands Arena
14 3:51.21 Lopez Lomong  United States 19 February 2013 Fort Washington Avenue Armory
15 3:51.26 Henry Wynne  United States 3 March 2019 Boston University Track and Tennis Center [31]
16 3:51.8 (ht) Steve Scott  United States 20 February 1981 San Diego
17
18
19

Notes

Below is a list of other times superior to 3:48.46:

Women
  • Correct as of February 2020.[32]
Rank Time Athlete Nation Date Place Ref
1 4:13.31Genzebe Dibaba Ethiopia17 February 2016Globen Galan
2 4:16.85 Elle Purrier  United States 8 February 2020 Millrose Games [33]
3 4:17.14Doina Melinte Romania9 February 1990Meadowlands Arena
4 4:17.26 Konstanze Klosterhalfen  Germany 8 February 2020 Millrose Games [34]
5 4:17.88 Jemma Reekie  Great Britain 8 February 2020 Millrose Games [35]
6 4:18.75 Laura Muir  Great Britain 16 February 2019 Arena Birmingham [36]
7 4:18.99Paula Ivan Romania10 February 1989Meadowlands Arena
8 4:19.73 Gabriela DeBues-Stafford Canada 8 February 2020 Millrose Games [37]
9 4:19.89Sifan Hassan Netherlands11 February 2017Millrose Games
10 4:20.5Mary Decker-Tabb United States19 February 1982San Diego Sports Arena
11 4:21.79Regina Jacobs United States8 January 2000New Balance Mile Challenge
12 4:22.66Shannon Rowbury United States31 January 2015Wake Forest Invitational
13 4:22.86 Colleen Quigley  United States 9 February 2019 Fort Washington Avenue Armory [38]
14 4:22.93Kate Grace United States11 February 2017Millrose Games
15 4:23.00Carla Sacramento Portugal24 February 2002Meeting Pas de Calais
16 4:23.19 Gabriela Szabo  Romania 4 February 2001 Sparkassen Cup
17 4:23.33 Kutre Dulecha  Ethiopia 4 February 2001 Sparkassen Cup
18 4:23.49 Olga Komyagina  Russia 27 January 2008 Moscow
19 4:23.50 Axumawit Embaye  Ethiopia 21 February 2015 Arena Birmingham

Youth age records

Key:   Incomplete information

Boys
AgeTimeAthleteNationBirthdateDateLocationRef
56:33.3Daniel Skandera United States2 November 200723 July 2013Santa Rosa
65:44.4Daniel Skandera United States2 November 20075 August 2014Santa Rosa
75:20.3Daniel Skandera United States2 November 20079 June 2015Santa Rosa
85:12.1Daniel Skandera United States2 November 20079 August 2016Santa Rosa
95:02.5Daniel Skandera United States2 November 200727 June 2017Santa Rosa
104:46.6Daniel Skandera United States2 November 200724 July 2018Santa Rosa
114:43.9Daniel Skandera United States2 November 20071 November 2019Oakland
124:36.80Jeremy Kain United States18 August 200413 July 2017Los Gatos
134:26.49James Burke United States5 August 199721 May 2011Schenectady
144:12.77Marcus Reilly United States13 November 20057 November 2020Fairhaven
154:08.8Jim Arriola United States10 June 195822 April 1972Long Beach
16 3:56.29Jakob Ingebrigtsen Norway19 September 200015 June 2017Oslo[39]
3:54.63Victor Torres United States19 April 198914 June 2005New York
173:50.90Hamza Driouch Qatar16 November 19947 June 2012Oslo[40]
183:49.77Caleb Ndiku Kenya9 October 19924 June 2011Eugene[41]
193:49.29William Biwott Tanui Kenya5 March 19903 July 2009Oslo[42]

Girls
AgeTimeAthleteNationBirthdateDateLocationRef
66:36.0Celine Struijvé Netherlands10 November 201217 September 2019Epe
76:05.1Kristina Wilson United States5 December 19635 June 1971
85:43.5Imogen Stewart Australia27 July 200510 December 2013Sydney
95:18.74Imogen Stewart Australia27 July 200517 January 2015Wollongong
105:04.19Imogen Stewart Australia27 July 200516 January 2016Wollongong
114:56.08Imogen Stewart Australia27 July 20054 March 2017Sydney
124:46.57Imogen Stewart Australia27 July 200513 January 2018Wollongong
134:44.73Imogen Stewart Australia27 July 200522 December 2018Sydney
144:40.1 iMary Decker United States4 August 195816 March 1973Richmond
154:36.0Gunvor Hilde Norway13 November 196314 September 1979London
164:28.25iMary Cain United States3 May 199616 February 2013New York
174:24.11iMary Cain United States3 May 199624 January 2014Boston
184:24.10iKalkidan Gezahegne Ethiopia8 May 199120 February 2010Birmingham
194:17.57Zola Budd United Kingdom26 May 196621 August 1985Zurich

Season's bests
  • "i" indicates performance on 200m indoor track

See also

References
  1. It has always been customary to give horizontal distances in yards and vertical distances in feet
  2. "Maniacs stand out a mile". The Independent. 20 July 1997. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  3. Mile (unit of measurement). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved on 12 June 2011.
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  5. McMillan, Ken. "Classic weekend notebook: Running for a good cause". Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  6. 12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine (p. 546, 549–50). IAAF. Retrieved on 12 June 2011.
  7. World Outdoor Records. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 June 2011.
  8. Mile - Introduction. IAAF. Retrieved on 12 June 2011.
  9. 1954: Bannister breaks four-minute mile. BBC On This Day. Retrieved on 12 June 2011.
  10. Butcher, Pat (4 May 2004). Completely off pace. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-06-12.
  11. Commonwealth Games Medallists - Men. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 12 June 2011.
  12. "World Records". International Association of Athletics Federations. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
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  14. "Bowerman Mile Results" (PDF). www.diamondleague-eugene.com. 31 May 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  15. "All-time women's best Mile run". alltime-athletics.com. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  16. Mike Rowbottom (12 July 2019). "Hassan breaks world mile record in Monaco with 4:12.33 - IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  17. Mike Rowbottom (17 February 2016). "Dibaba and Souleiman break world indoor records in Stockholm". IAAF. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  18. "Mile Run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  19. "Mile Run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  20. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  21. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  22. Mike Rowbottom (12 July 2019). "Hassan breaks world mile record in Monaco with 4:12.33 - IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  23. Mike Rowbottom (12 July 2019). "Hassan breaks world mile record in Monaco with 4:12.33 - IAAF Diamond League". IAAF. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  24. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  25. "Mile Run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  26. "Mile run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  27. "Mile run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  28. "Mile run Results" (PDF). sportresult.com. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  29. "All-time men's best Mile Run indoor". IAAF. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  30. "Mile Run Invitational Results". lancertiming.com. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  31. "Mile run Results". runnerspace.com. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  32. https://www.worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/middle-long/one-mile/indoor/women/senior?regionType=world&page=1&bestResultsOnly=true&oversizedTrack=regular&firstDay=1899-12-30&lastDay=2020-02-09
  33. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  34. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  35. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  36. John Mulkeen (16 February 2019). "Tefera breaks world indoor 1500m record in Birmingham". IAAF. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  37. "Purrier smashes North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games". World Athletics. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  38. Rich Sands (10 February 2019). "Millrose Games Women — American 800 Record For Ajee' Wilson". trackandfieldnews.com. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  39. "Dream Miles results" (PDF). 15 June 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  40. "2012 Bislett Games--Oslo Diamond League". Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  41. "2011 Prefontaine Classic Results". Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  42. "Search Mile History – Mile History". Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  1. McMillan, Ken. "Classic weekend notebook: Running for a good cause". recordonline.com. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
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