Mile run
The mile run is a middle-distance foot race.
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. 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. 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.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. 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.
'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. 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 era.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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
Outdoor
Indoor
All-time top 25
- i = indoor performance
- ht = hand timing
Men
- Correct as of March 2019.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
| 1 | 3:43.13 | Hicham El Guerrouj | 7 July 1999 | Golden Gala | ||
| 2 | 3:43.40 | Noah Ngeny | Kenya | 7 July 1999 | Golden Gala | |
| 3 | 3:44.39 | Noureddine Morceli | 5 September 1993 | Rieti Meeting | ||
| 4 | 3:46.32 | Steve Cram | 27 July 1985 | Bislett Games | ||
| 5 | 3:46.38 | Daniel Komen | Kenya | 26 August 1997 | ISTAF Berlin | |
| 6 | 3:46.70 | Vénuste Niyongabo | 26 August 1997 | ISTAF Berlin | ||
| 7 | 3:46.76 | Saïd Aouita | 2 July 1987 | Helsinki | ||
| 8 | 3:46.91 | Alan Webb | 21 July 2007 | Brasschaat | ||
| 9 | 3:47.01i | Yomif Kejelcha | Ethiopia | 3 March 2019 | Boston | |
| 10 | 3:47.28 | Bernard Lagat | Kenya | 29 June 2001 | Golden Gala | |
| 11 | 3:47.32 | Ayanleh Souleiman | Djibouti | 31 May 2014 | Eugene | |
| 12 | 3:47.33 | Sebastian Coe | 28 August 1981 | Brussels | ||
| 13 | 3:47.65 | Laban Rotich | Kenya | 4 July 1997 | Oslo | |
| 14 | 3:47.69 | Steve Scott | 7 July 1982 | Oslo | ||
| 15 | 3:47.79 | José Luis González | 27 July 1985 | Oslo | ||
| 16 | 3:47.88 | John Kibowen | Kenya | 4 July 1997 | Oslo | |
| 16 | 3:47.88 | Silas Kiplagat | Kenya | 31 May 2014 | Eugene | |
| 18 | 3:47.94 | William Chirchir | Kenya | 28 July 2000 | Oslo | |
| 19 | 3:47.97 | Dahame Najem Bashir | 29 July 2005 | Oslo | ||
| 20 | 3:48.17 | Paul Korir | Kenya | 8 August 2003 | London | |
| 21 | 3:48.23 | Ali Saidi-Sief | 13 July 2001 | Oslo | ||
| 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 | |
| 24 | 3:48.40 | William Kemei | Kenya | 21 August 1992 | Berlin |
Women
- Correct as of July 2019.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
| 1 | 4:12.33 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands | 12 July 2019 | Monaco | |
| 2 | 4:12.56 | Svetlana Masterkova | 14 August 1996 | Zürich | ||
| 3 | 4:13.31 i | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia | 17 February 2016 | Stockholm | |
| 4 | 4:15.61 | Paula Ivan | 10 July 1989 | Nice | ||
| 5 | 4:15.8 | Natalya Artyomova | 5 August 1984 | Leningrad | ||
| 6 | 4:16.14 | Gudaf Tsegay | Ethiopia | 22 July 2018 | London | |
| 7 | 4:16.15 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya | 22 July 2018 | London | |
| 8 | 4:16.71 | Mary Slaney | 21 August 1985 | Zürich | ||
| 8 | 4:16.71 | Faith Kipyegon | 11 September 2015 | Brussels | ||
| 10 | 4:16.85 i | Elle Purrier | United States | 8 February 2020 | New York City | |
| 11 | 4:17.14 i | Doina Melinte | Romania | 9 February 1990 | East Rutherford | |
| 12 | 4:17.25 | Sonia O'Sullivan | 22 July 1994 | Oslo | ||
| 13 | 4:17.26 i | Konstanze Klosterhalfen | Germany | 8 February 2020 | New York City | |
| 14 | 4:17.30 | Jenny Simpson | United States | 22 July 2018 | London | |
| 15 | 4:17.33 | Maricica Puica | 21 August 1985 | Zürich | ||
| 16 | 4:17.57 | Zola Budd | 21 August 1985 | Zürich | ||
| 17 | 4:17.60 | Laura Weightman | Great Britain | 12 July 2019 | Monaco | |
| 18 | 4:17.75 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | 14 September 2007 | Brussels | ||
| 19 | 4:17.87 | Gabriela DeBues-Stafford | Canada | 12 July 2019 | Monaco | |
| 20 | 4:17.88 i | Jemma Reekie | Great Britain | 8 February 2020 | New York City | |
| 21 | 4:18.03 | Laura Muir | Great Britain | 9 July 2017 | London | |
| 22 | 4:18.23 | Gelete Burka | 7 September 2008 | Rieti Meeting | ||
| 23 | 4:18.42 | Rababe Arafi | Morocco | 12 July 2019 | Monaco | |
| 24 | 4:18.58 | Axumawit Embaye | Ethiopia | 12 July 2019 | Monaco | |
| 25 | 4:18.65 | Winnie Nanyondo | Uganda | 12 July 2019 | Monaco |
All-time top 19, indoor
Men
- Correct as of March 2019.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
| 1 | 3:47.01 | Yomif Kejelcha | Ethiopia | 3 March 2019 | Boston University Track and Tennis Center | |
| 2 | 3:48.45 | Hicham El Guerrouj | 12 February 1997 | Indoor Flanders Meeting | ||
| 3 | 3:49.44 | Edward Cheserek | Kenya | 9 February 2018 | David Hemery Valentine Invitational | |
| 4 | 3:49.78 | Eamonn Coghlan | 27 February 1983 | Meadowlands Arena | ||
| 5 | 3:49.89 | Bernard Lagat | 11 February 2005 | Randal Tyson Track Center | ||
| 6 | 3:49.98 | Johnny Gregorek | United States | 3 March 2019 | Boston University Track and Tennis Center | |
| 7 | 3:50.63 | Matthew Centrowitz | 20 February 2016 | Fort Washington Avenue Armory | ||
| 8 | 3:50.70 | Noureddine Morceli | 20 February 1993 | Arena Birmingham | ||
| 9 | 3:50.92 | Galen Rupp | 26 January 2013 | Boston University Track and Tennis Center | ||
| 10 | 3:50.94 | Marcus O'Sullivan | 13 February 1988 | Meadowlands Arena | ||
| 10 | 3:50.94 | Sam Prakel | United States | 3 March 2019 | Boston University Track and Tennis Center | |
| 12 | 3:51.06 | Nick Willis | 20 February 2016 | Millrose Games | ||
| 13 | 3:51.20 | Ray Flynn | 27 February 1983 | Meadowlands 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 | |
| 16 | 3:51.8 | Steve Scott | United States | 20 February 1981 | San Diego | |
| 17 | ||||||
| 18 | ||||||
| 19 |
Women
- Correct as of February 2020.
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Nation | Date | Place | Ref |
| 1 | 4:13.31 | Genzebe Dibaba | 17 February 2016 | Globen Galan | ||
| 2 | 4:16.85 | Elle Purrier | United States | 8 February 2020 | Millrose Games | |
| 3 | 4:17.14 | Doina Melinte | 9 February 1990 | Meadowlands Arena | ||
| 4 | 4:17.26 | Konstanze Klosterhalfen | Germany | 8 February 2020 | Millrose Games | |
| 5 | 4:17.88 | Jemma Reekie | Great Britain | 8 February 2020 | Millrose Games | |
| 6 | 4:18.75 | Laura Muir | Great Britain | 16 February 2019 | Arena Birmingham | |
| 7 | 4:18.99 | Paula Ivan | 10 February 1989 | Meadowlands Arena | ||
| 8 | 4:19.73 | Gabriela DeBues-Stafford |  Canada | 8 February 2020 | Millrose Games | |
| 9 | 4:19.89 | Sifan Hassan | 11 February 2017 | Millrose Games | ||
| 10 | 4:20.5 | Mary Decker-Tabb | 19 February 1982 | San Diego Sports Arena | ||
| 11 | 4:21.79 | Regina Jacobs | 8 January 2000 | New Balance Mile Challenge | ||
| 12 | 4:22.66 | Shannon Rowbury | 31 January 2015 | Wake Forest Invitational | ||
| 13 | 4:22.86 | Colleen Quigley | United States | 9 February 2019 | Fort Washington Avenue Armory | |
| 14 | 4:22.93 | Kate Grace | 11 February 2017 | Millrose Games | ||
| 15 | 4:23.00 | Carla Sacramento | 24 February 2002 | Meeting Pas de Calais | ||
| 16 | 4:23.19 | Gabriela Szabo | 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:Boys
Girls
Season's bests
Men
Women
- "i" indicates performance on 200m indoor track