Mile run

Although a statute mile today is equal to a length of 5,280 feet, the distance of the English mile gained its current definition of 1,760 yards through a statute of the Parliament of England in 1593.^[6] 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.^[7]

The mile run was at the heart of the divide between professional and amateur sports in the late 19th century, as running was beginning to gain popularity in the sports world. 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.^[7] Although the spotlight was shining on the running scene, 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.^[8]

Prior to metrication, many tracks in the United States and the Commonwealth of Nations were constructed to the specifications of one quarter of a mile, 440 yards (402.336 m). Thus, when the mile was run, the race was four laps. The Commonwealth Games officially converted to metric in the mid-1960s. The United States adopted metric rules in the mid to late 1970s, though some tracks are still constructed to be a quarter of a mile in length requiring calibrated painted lines to run metric races.^{[citation needed]}

The mile run continued to be a popular distance in spite of the metrication of track and field and athletics in general, replacing the imperial distance for the metric mile (1500 meters). 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 confirmed the first officially recognised world record in the mile the following year (4:14.4 minutes run by John Paul Jones).^[9]

The fact that the mile run was the only imperial distance to retain its official world record status after 1976 reflects its continued popularity in the international (and principally metric) era.^[10] Decades later, the distance remains widespread, and is often used as a benchmark for distance running performance.

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.^[9] 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.^[11]

The goal of completing a sub-four-minute mile sparked further interest in the distance in the 1950s and to this day, many competitive runners are still chasing the ambitious barrier. 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.^[12][13] In fact, pacemakers, if performing effectively, can earn generous sums of money for their performances and accurate pacing duties.^{[citation needed]}

The 1960s saw American Jim Ryun set world records near the 3:50-minute mark and his achievements popularised interval workout techniques which are still heavily used today, especially for collegiate distance runners.^[11] Jim Ryun was the first person to run a sub-four minute mile in high school.^[14] 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 as of 2021).^[15]

Filbert Bayi of Tanzania became Africa's first world record holder over the distance in 1975, although New Zealander John Walker further broke Bayi's record a few months later to become the first man under 3:50 minutes for the event. The 1980s were 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.^[9] On the men's side, the fastest mile run since Hicham El Guerrouj's 3:43.13 in 1999 was Jakob Ingebrigtsen's 3:43.73 at the 2023 Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic & Diamond League Final.

Mile run contests remain a key feature of many annual track and field meetings, including recreational, high school, and collegiate meets.

In the United States, particularly in many high school (NFHS) competitions, the 1600 meters is a substitute for the mile run.

On the professional level, races such as the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, the Dream Mile at the Bislett Games, the British Emsley Carr Mile, and the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic are 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. However, in high school and collegiate cross country running, races are often measured in kilometers, with 5K and 8K being the most common.

In 2019, World Athletics President and former athlete Sebastian Coe organized the World Athletics Heritage Mile Night in Monaco, which brought together eleven mile world record holders, either indoors or outdoors: Ron Delany, Michel Jazy, Jim Ryun, Filbert Bayi, Paola Pigni-Cacchi, John Walker, Eamonn Coghlan, Coe, Steve Cram, Noureddine Morceli, and Hicham El Guerrouj. The event posthumously honored Roger Bannister and Diane Leather Charles, who were the first to break the four minute and five minute mile barriers, for men and women respectively.^[16][17]

In February 2025, it was announced that the mile run would be revived at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, replacing the 1500 metres.^[18]

In June 2025, in a special event organized by Nike, Faith Kipyegon attempted to become the first woman to break four minutes for the mile. She fell 6.91 seconds short with an unadjusted time of 4:06.91. Given the use of male pacemakers, the event was not record eligible.^{[19][20][21][22]}

Key:   Incomplete information

Boys

More information Age, Time ...

Age	Time	Athlete	Nation	Birthdate	Date	Place	Ref
5	6:33.3	Daniel Skandera	United States	2 November 2007	23 July 2013	Santa Rosa
6	5:44.4	Daniel Skandera	United States	2 November 2007	5 August 2014	Santa Rosa
7	5:20.3	Daniel Skandera	United States	2 November 2007	9 June 2015	Santa Rosa
8	5:12.1	Daniel Skandera	United States	2 November 2007	9 August 2016	Santa Rosa
9	5:02.5	Daniel Skandera	United States	2 November 2007	27 June 2017	Santa Rosa
10	4:46.6	Daniel Skandera	United States	2 November 2007	24 July 2018	Santa Rosa
11	4:36.04	Archie Sideridis	Australia	18 October 2011	9 February 2023	Melbourne
12	4:35.66	Quenton Lanese	United States	4 March 2011	20 May 2023	Mercer Island
13	4:22.33	Jackson Miller	United States	11 June 1999	1 June 2023	St. Louis
14	4:11.20	Angus Wilkinson	Great Britain	16 January 2009	26 August 2023	Stirling	[94]
15	3:58.35	Sam Ruthe	New Zealand	12 April 2009	19 March 2025	Auckland	[95][96]
16	3:48.88 i	Sam Ruthe	New Zealand	12 April 2009	31 January 2026	Boston	[97]
17	3:50.15	Cameron Myers	Australia	9 June 2006	25 May 2024	Eugene	[98]
18	3:47.48 i	Cameron Myers	Australia	9 June 2006	8 February 2025	New York City	[99]
19	3:48.06	Reynold Cheruiyot	Kenya	30 July 2004	16 September 2023	Eugene	[25]

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Girls

More information Age, Time ...

Age	Time	Athlete	Nation	Birthdate	Date	Place	Ref
6	6:36.0	Celine Struijvé	Netherlands	10 November 2012	17 September 2019	Epe
7	6:05.1	Kristina Wilson	United States	5 December 1963	5 June 1971
8	5:43.5	Imogen Stewart	Australia	27 July 2005	10 December 2013	Sydney
9	5:18.74	Imogen Stewart	Australia	27 July 2005	17 January 2015	Wollongong
10	5:04.19	Imogen Stewart	Australia	27 July 2005	16 January 2016	Wollongong
11	4:56.08	Imogen Stewart	Australia	27 July 2005	4 March 2017	Sydney
12	4:46.57	Imogen Stewart	Australia	27 July 2005	13 January 2018	Wollongong
13	4:44.73	Imogen Stewart	Australia	27 July 2005	22 December 2018	Sydney
14	4:40.1 i	Mary Decker	United States	4 August 1958	16 March 1973	Richmond
15	4:35.16	Sadie Engelhardt	United States	21 August 2006	9 April 2022	Arcadia	[100]
16	4:28.25 i	Mary Cain	United States	3 May 1996	16 February 2013	New York City
17	4:24.11 i	Mary Cain	United States	3 May 1996	24 January 2014	Boston
18	4:23.50	Jane Hedengren	United States	23 September 2006	5 June 2025	St. Louis	[101]
19	4:17.57	Zola Budd	Great Britain	26 May 1966	21 August 1985	Zürich

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• 1500 metres
• 1600 meters
• 2 miles