Mile run

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

The mile run (1,760 yards,^[2] 5,280 feet, or exactly 1,609.344 metres) is a middle-distance foot race.

Athletics Mile run
Matt Centrowitz and Nick Willis racing for first place in the 2015 Wanamaker Mile. Centrowitz ends up beating Willis by 0.11 seconds, in a time of 3:51.35.[1]
World records
Men	Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3:43.13 (1999)
Women	Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 4:07.64 (2023)
Short track world records
Men	Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 3:45.14 (2025)
Women	Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 4:13.31 (2016)
World junior (U20) records
Men	Cameron Myers (AUS) 3:47.48 (2025)
Women	Birke Haylom (ETH) 4:17.13 (2023)

The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races.^{[citation needed]} 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, which is used instead of the mile at the World Championships and Olympic Games and is sometimes referred as the foremost middle-distance track event in athletics, the mile run is present in all fields of athletics, and since 1976, it is the only imperial distance World Athletics has on its books for official world records.^[a]

Although the mile is not featured at any major championships, the Wanamaker Mile, Dream Mile, Emsley Carr Mile and Bowerman Mile races are among the foremost annual middle-distance races.

Athletics Road Mile
2018 Women's Fifth Avenue Mile.
World records
Men	Elliot Giles (GBR) 3:51.3 (2024)
Women	Diribe Welteji (ETH) 4:20.98 (2023)

The current mile world record holders are Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco with a time of 3:43.13 and Faith Kipyegon of Kenya with the Women's record of 4:07.64.

Despite being only 109.344 metres longer, the mile is distinctly different from its much more common 1500 metres counterpart. World record holder Hicham El Guerrouj considers the mile to be his more challenging event.^[3]

“My favourite is 1500m. It’s part of my heart. I competed in it a lot and I know every metre of this race. The mile is completely different. If you are not strong physically and mentally, you cannot run it well.”

— Hicham El Guerrouj

Each lap during El Guerrouj's world record run averaged 55.46 seconds per 400 m.^[4] Along with El Guerrouj, only three other men in history have broken the 3:44 barrier in the mile; Noah Ngeny (in the same race as El Guerrouj), Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and Yared Nuguse.^[5]

History

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]

Gunder Hägg (right) defeats Arne Andersson with a world record time of 4:06.2 in Gothenburg, 1942.

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]

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, 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]}

Runners competing in the Women's Mile at the Adidas Boost Boston Games in 2019.

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]

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]

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.

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
World	3:43.13	Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)	4:07.64	Faith Kipyegon (KEN)
Continental records
Africa	3:43.13	Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR)	4:07.64	Faith Kipyegon (KEN)
Asia	3:47.97	Daham Najim Bashir (QAT)	4:17.75	Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)
Europe	3:43.73	Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)	4:12.33	Sifan Hassan (NED)
North, Central America and Caribbean	3:43.97	Yared Nuguse (USA)	4:16.71	Mary Slaney (USA)
Oceania	3:47.48	Oliver Hoare (AUS)	4:15.34	Jessica Hull (AUS)
South America	3:51.05	Hudson de Souza (BRA)	4:30.05	Soraya Vieira Telles (BRA)

Indoor

Area	Men's		Women's
	Time	Athlete	Time	Athlete
World	3:45.14	Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)	4:13.31	Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)
Continental records
Africa	3:47.01	Yomif Kejelcha (ETH)	4:13.31	Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)
Asia	3:57.05	Mohamed Suleiman (QAT)	4:24.71	Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR)
Europe	3:45.14	Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR)	4:17.14	Doina Melinte (ROM)
North, Central America and Caribbean	3:46.63	Yared Nuguse (USA)	4:16.85	Elle Purrier (USA)
Oceania	3:47.48	Cameron Myers (AUS)	4:19.03	Jessica Hull (AUS)
South America	3:56.26	Hudson de Souza (BRA)	4:42.24	Valentina Medina (VEN)

Road

Area	Men's		Women's
	Time	Athlete	Time	Athlete
World	3:51.3h	Elliot Giles (GBR)	4:20.98	Dirbe Welteji (ETH)
Continental records
Africa	3:53.3h	Edward Cheserek (KEN)	4:20.98	Dirbe Welteji (ETH)
Asia	4:01.26	Ryoji Tatezawa (JPN)	4:29.79	Nozomi Tanaka (JPN)
Europe	3:51.3h	Elliot Giles (GBR)	4:29.0h	Maria Akraka (SWE)
North, Central America and Caribbean	3:51.9h	Yared Nuguse (USA)	4:25.0h	Ellinor Purrier (USA)
Oceania	3:56.57	Nick Willis (NZL)	4:32.0h	Linden Hall (AUS)
South America	4:02.75	Guilherme Kurtz (BRA)	none	none

All-time top 25

Tables show data for two definitions of "Top 25" - the top 25 mile times and the top 25 athletes:

- denotes top performance for athletes in the top 25 mile times

- denotes lesser performances, still in the top 25 mile times, by repeat athletes

- denotes top performance (only) for other top 25 athletes who fall outside the top 25 mile times

Men (outdoor)

• Correct as of May 2024.^[19][20]

Ath.#	Perf.#	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref.
1	1	3:43.13	Hicham El Guerrouj	Morocco	7 July 1999	Rome
2	2	3:43.40	Noah Ngeny	Kenya	7 July 1999	Rome
3	3	3:43.73	Jakob Ingebrigtsen	Norway	16 September 2023	Eugene	[21]
4	4	3:43.97	Yared Nuguse	United States	16 September 2023	Eugene	[21]
5	5	3:44.39	Noureddine Morceli	Algeria	5 September 1993	Rieti
	6	3:44.60	El Guerrouj #2		16 July 1998	Nice
	7	3:44.90	El Guerrouj #3		4 July 1997	Oslo
	8	3:44.95	El Guerrouj #4		29 June 2001	Rome
	9	3:45.19	Morceli #2		16 August 1995	Zürich
6	10	3:45.34	Josh Kerr	Great Britain	25 May 2024	Eugene	[22]
	11	3:45.60	Ingebrigtsen #2		25 May 2024	Eugene	[22]
	12	3:45.64	El Guerrouj #5		26 August 1997	Berlin
	13	3:45.96	El Guerrouj #6		5 August 2000	London
	14	3:46.22	Nuguse #2		25 May 2024	Eugene	[22]
	15	3:46.24	El Guerrouj #7		28 July 2000	Oslo
7	16	3:46.32	Steve Cram	Great Britain	27 July 1985	Oslo
8	17	3:46.38	Daniel Komen	Kenya	26 August 1997	Berlin
	18	3:46.46	Ingebrigtsen #3		16 June 2022	Oslo	[23]
9	19	3:46.70	Vénuste Niyongabo	Burundi	26 August 1997	Berlin
10	20	3:46.76	Saïd Aouita	Morocco	2 July 1987	Helsinki
	21	3:46.78	Morceli #3		27 August 1993	Berlin
11	22	3:46.91	Alan Webb	United States	21 July 2007	Brasschaat
	23	3:46.92	Aouita #2		21 August 1985	Zürich
	24	3:47.10	El Guerrouj #8		7 August 1999	London
	25	3:47.24	Ingebrigtsen #4		21 August 2021	Eugene
12		3:47.28	Bernard Lagat	Kenya	29 June 2001	Rome
13		3:47.32	Ayanleh Souleiman	Djibouti	31 May 2014	Eugene	[24]
14		3:47.33	Sebastian Coe	Great Britain	28 August 1981	Brussels
15		3:47.48	Oliver Hoare	Australia	16 June 2022	Oslo	[23]
16		3:47.65	Laban Rotich	Kenya	4 July 1997	Oslo
			George Mills	United Kingdom	16 September 2023	Eugene	[21]
18		3:47.69	Steve Scott	United States	7 July 1982	Oslo
			Mario García	Spain	16 September 2023	Eugene	[21]
20		3:47.74	Neil Gourley	Great Britain	25 May 2024	Eugene	[25]
21		3:47.79	José Luis González	Spain	27 July 1985	Oslo
22		3:47.83	Jake Wightman	Great Britain	25 May 2024	Eugene	[26]
23		3:47.88	John Kibowen	Kenya	4 July 1997	Oslo
			Silas Kiplagat	Kenya	31 May 2014	Eugene
25		3:47.94	William Chirchir	Kenya	28 July 2000	Oslo

Women (outdoor)

• Correct as of July 2023.^[27][28]

Ath.#	Perf.#	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref.
1	1	4:07.64	Faith Kipyegon	Kenya	21 July 2023	Monaco	[29]
2	2	4:12.33	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	12 July 2019	Monaco	[30]
3	3	4:12.56	Svetlana Masterkova	Russia	14 August 1996	Zürich
4	4	4:14.30	Genzebe Dibaba	Ethiopia	6 September 2016	Rovereto
	5	4:14.71	Hassan #2		22 July 2018	London
	6	4:14.74	Hassan #3		3 September 2021	Brussels
5	7	4:14.58	Ciara Mageean	Ireland	21 July 2023	Monaco	[29]
6	8	4:14.79	Freweyni Hailu	Ethiopia	21 July 2023	Monaco	[29]
7	9	4:15.24	Laura Muir	Great Britain	21 July 2023	Monaco	[31]
8	10	4:15.34	Jessica Hull	Australia	21 July 2023	Monaco	[31]
9	11	4:15.61	Paula Ivan	Romania	10 July 1989	Nice
10	12	4:15.8h	Natalya Artyomova	Soviet Union	5 August 1984	Leningrad
	13	4:16.05	Dibaba #2		6 July 2017	Lausanne
11	14	4:16.14	Gudaf Tsegay	Ethiopia	22 July 2018	London	[32]
12	15	4:16.15	Hellen Obiri	Kenya	22 July 2018	London	[32]
	16	4:16.15	Obiri #2		9 July 2017	London
13	17	4:16.35	Nikki Hiltz	United States	21 July 2023	Monaco	[31]
14	18	4:16.38	Melissa Courtney-Bryant	Great Britain	21 July 2023	Monaco	[31]
15	19	4:16.47	Elise Cranny	United States	21 July 2023	Monaco	[31]
16	20	4:16.71	Mary Slaney	United States	21 August 1985	Zürich
	20	4:16.71	Kipyegon #2		11 September 2015	Brussels	[33]
	22	4:17.00	Artyomova #2		20 September 1991	Barcelona
17	23	4:17.13	Birke Haylom	Ethiopia	15 June 2023	Oslo	[34]
18	24	4:17.25	Sonia O'Sullivan	Ireland	22 July 1994	Oslo
19	25	4:17.30	Jenny Simpson	United States	22 July 2018	London	[32]
20		4:17.33	Maricica Puica	Romania	21 August 1985	Zürich
21		4:17.57	Zola Budd	Great Britain	21 August 1985	Zürich
22		4:17.60	Laura Weightman	Great Britain	12 July 2019	Monaco	[35]
23		4:17.75	Maryam Yusuf Jamal	Bahrain	14 September 2007	Brussels
24		4:17.87	Gabriela DeBues-Stafford	Canada	12 July 2019	Monaco	[30]
25		4:18.11	Cory McGee	United States	15 June 2023	Oslo	[34]

Men (indoor)

• Correct as of March 2025.^[36]

Ath.#	Perf.#	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref.
1	1	3:45.14	Jakob Ingebrigtsen	Norway	13 February 2025	Liévin	[37]
2	2	3:46.63	Yared Nuguse	United States	8 February 2025	New York City
3	3	3:46.90	Hobbs Kessler	United States	8 February 2025	New York City
4	4	3:47.01	Yomif Kejelcha	Ethiopia	3 March 2019	Boston	[38]
	5	3:47.22	Nuguse #2		2 March 2025	Boston	[39]
	6	3:47.38	Nuguse #3		11 February 2023	New York City	[40]
5	7	3:47.48	Cam Myers	Australia	8 February 2025	New York City
6	8	3:47.56	Azeddine Habz	France	8 February 2025	New York City
	9	3:47.83	Nuguse #4		11 February 2024	New York City
7	10	3:48.32	Ethan Strand	United States	1 February 2025	Boston	[41]
8	11	3:48.45	Hicham El Guerrouj	Morocco	12 February 1997	Ghent
	12	3:48.46	Kejelcha #2		9 February 2019	New York City
	13	3:48.66	Kessler #2		11 February 2024	New York City	[42]
9	14	3:48.82	Gary Martin	United States	8 February 2025	New York City
10	15	3:48.87	Josh Kerr	Great Britain	27 February 2022	Boston	[43]
11	16	3:48.93	George Mills	Great Britain	11 February 2024	New York City	[42]
12	17	3:49.22	Neil Gourley	United Kingdom	8 February 2025	New York City
13	18	3:49.26	Andrew Coscoran	Ireland	8 February 2025	New York City
14	19	3:49.44	Edward Cheserek	Kenya	9 February 2018	Boston	[44]
15	20	3:49.45	Robert Farken	Germany	1 February 2025	Boston	[41]
	21	3:49.46	Gourley #2		11 February 2023	New York City	[40]
16	22	3:49.62	Adam Fogg	Great Britain	11 February 2024	New York City	[42]
17	23	3:49.78	Eamonn Coghlan	Ireland	27 February 1983	East Rutherford
	24	3:49.85	Fogg #2		1 February 2025	Boston
18	25	3:49.89	Bernard Lagat	Kenya	11 February 2005	Fayetteville
19		3:49.98	Johnny Gregorek	United States	3 March 2019	Boston	[38]
20		3:50.17	Cooper Teare	United States	11 February 2022	Chicago	[45]
21		3:50.35	Cole Hocker	United States	11 February 2022	Chicago	[45]
22		3:50.45	Amos Bartelsmeyer	Germany	11 February 2023	Boston	[46]
23		3:50.46	Anass Essayi	Morocco	11 February 2023	Boston
24		3:50.56	Vincent Ciattei	United States	2 March 2024	New York City	[36]
			Matthew Centrowitz	United States	20 February 2016	New York City

Women (indoor)

• Correct as of March 2025.^[47]

Ath.#	Perf.#	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref.
1	1	4:13.31	Genzebe Dibaba	Ethiopia	17 February 2016	Stockholm
2	2	4:16.16	Gudaf Tsegay	Ethiopia	8 February 2023	Toruń	[48]
3	3	4:16.41	Elinor Purrier	United States	11 February 2024	New York City	[49]
	4	4:16.85	Purrier #2		8 February 2020	New York City
4	5	4:17.01	Heather MacLean	United States	2 March 2025	Boston	[50]
5	6	4:17.14	Doina Melinte	Romania	9 February 1990	East Rutherford
6	7	4:17.26	Konstanze Klosterhalfen	Germany	8 February 2020	New York City	[51]
7	8	4:17.36	Freweyni Hailu	Ethiopia	30 January 2024	Ostrava	[52]
8	9	4:17.88	Jemma Reekie	Great Britain	8 February 2020	New York City	[51]
9	10	4:18.75	Laura Muir	Great Britain	16 February 2019	Birmingham	[53]
	11	4:18.86	Melinte #2		13 February 1988	East Rutherford
10	12	4:18.99	Paula Ivan	Romania	10 February 1989	East Rutherford
11	13	4:19.03	Jessica Hull	Australia	11 February 2024	New York City	[54]
	14	4:19.30	Purrier #3		29 January 2022	New York City
12	15	4:19.53	Hirut Meshesha	Ethiopia	30 January 2024	Ostrava	[55]
13	16	4:19.73	Gabriela DeBues-Stafford	Canada	8 February 2020	New York City	[51]
14	17	4:19.89	Sifan Hassan	Netherlands	11 February 2017	New York City
	18	4:19.98	Klosterhalfen #2		9 February 2019	New York City
	19	4:20.15	Muir #2		11 February 2023	New York City	[56]
15	20	4:20.30	Shelby Houlihan	United States	8 February 2025	Boston	[57]
16	21	4:20.5h	Mary Decker-Tabb	United States	19 February 1982	San Diego
17	22	4:20.61	Susan Lokayo Ejore	Kenya	11 February 2024	New York City	[58]
18	23	4:20.81	Josette Norris	United States	29 January 2022	New York City	[59]
19	24	4:20.83	Elise Cranny	United States	31 January 2025	Boston	[60]
	25	4:20.88	Norris #2		11 February 2023	New York City	[61]
19		4:21.19	Katie Snowden	Great Britain	11 February 2023	New York City	[62]
20		4:21.51	Sintayehu Vissa	Italy	2 March 2025	Boston	[50]
21		4:21.56	Maia Ramsden	New Zealand	2 March 2025	Boston	[50]
22		4:21.74	Lucia Stafford	Canada	15 February 2025	Boston	[63]
23		4:21.79	Regina Jacobs	United States	8 January 2000	New York City
24		4:22.21	Susan Ejore	Kenya	2 March 2025	Boston	[50]
25		4:22.39	Dorcus Ewoi	Kenya	2 March 2025	Boston	[50]

Men (road)

Note: World Athletics only accepts times achieved on World Athletics certified courses that are conducted according to World Athletics rules. The elevation gradient must not exceed one meter per kilometer.^[64] For instance, the famous Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City, or New Zealand's Queen Street Golden Mile,^[65] are too steep to be record eligible by World Athletics. Downhill miles such as Craig Wheeler's 3:24 clocking in the 1993 Meltham Mile^[66] were achieved on ineligible courses and as such are not recognized by World Athletics. The road mile became an official world record event on 1 September 2023 which is why most performances prior to this date were not previously considered records. The winning times from the 2023 U.S. Road Mile Championships, on 25 April, were ratified by World Athletics as the inaugural road mile world records.^[67]

• Correct as of September 2024.

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	3:51.3h	Elliot Giles	United Kingdom	1 September 2024	Düsseldorf	[68]
2	3:51.9h	Yared Nuguse	United States	1 September 2024	Düsseldorf
3	3:53.3h	Edward Cheserek	Kenya	7 December 2019	Honolulu
4	3:54.6h	Emmanuel Wanyonyi	Kenya	27 April 2024	Herzogenaurach
5	3:54.89	Leonard Kipkemoi Bett	Kenya	8 December 2018	Honolulu
6	3:54.9h	Vincent Kibet Keter	Kenya	1 September 2024	Düsseldorf
7	3:55.0h	Jordan McNamara	United States	21 September 2014	Lahaina
8	3:55.6h	Leonel Manzano	United States	24 March 2012	Austin
9	3:55.8h	Ben Blankenship	United States	12 May 2016	Minneapolis
10	3:56.0h	Graham Hood	Canada	13 December 1997	Honolulu
11	3:56.13	Hobbs Kessler	United States	1 October 2023	Riga
12	3:56.3h	Brimin Kiprono Kiprotich	Kenya	7 December 2019	Honolulu
13	3:56.40	Steve Scott	United States	14 July 1984	Berkeley
14	3:56.41	Callum Elson	United Kingdom	1 October 2023	Riga
15	3:56.43	Samuel Prakel	United States	1 October 2023	Riga
16	3:56.5h	Ryan Mphahlele	South Africa	27 April 2024	Herzogenaurach
17	3:56.57	Nick Willis	New Zealand	4 August 2013	Saline
		Maël Gouyette	France	1 October 2023	Riga
19	3:56.77	John Walker	New Zealand	14 July 1984	Berkeley
20	3:56.81	Vincent Ciattei	United States	9 December 2023	Honolulu
21	3:56.98	Kieran Lumb	Canada	1 October 2023	Riga
22	3:57.0h	Philemon Hanneck	Zimbabwe	1 February 1998	Santee
		Ibrahim Mohamed Aden	Somalia
		Patrick Joseph	United States	7 December 2019	Honolulu
25	3:57.1h	Ulf Högberg	Sweden	4 July 1975	London
		Craig Huffer	Australia	7 December 2019	Honolulu

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 3:57.0h:^[69]

• Edward Cheserek also ran 3:54.83 (2018).
• Hobbs Kessler also ran 3:56.2h (2024).
• Yared Nuguse also ran 3:56.58 (2023).
• Patrick Joseph also ran 3:57.0h (2019).

Women (road)

Note: World Athletics only accepts times achieved on World Athletics certified courses that are conducted according to World Athletics rules. The elevation gradient must not exceed one meter per kilometer.^[64] For instance, the famous Fifth Avenue Mile, or New Zealand's Queen Street Golden Mile,^[65] are too steep to be record eligible by World Athletics. Downhill miles are achieved on ineligible courses and as such are not recognized by World Athletics. The road mile became an official world record event on 1 September 2023 which is why performances prior to this date were not previously considered records. The winning times from the 2023 U.S. Road Mile Championships, on 25 April, were ratified by World Athletics as the inaugural road mile world records.^[67]

• Correct as of September 2024.

Rank	Time	Athlete	Nation	Date	Place	Ref
1	4:20.98	Diribe Welteji	Ethiopia	1 October 2023	Riga	[70]
2	4:22.54	Mirriam Cherop	Kenya	8 December 2018	Honolulu
3	4:23.06	Freweyni Hailu	Ethiopia	1 October 2023	Riga
4	4:24.13	Faith Kipyegon	Kenya	1 October 2023	Riga
5	4:25.0h	Elle St. Pierre	United States	7 December 2019	Honolulu
6	4:25.7h	Shannon Osika	United States		Honolulu
7	4:27.0h	Sinclaire Johnson	United States	23 July 2021	Pittsburgh
8	4:27.4h	Katrina Coogan	United States	9 December 2017	Honolulu
9	4:27.97	Nikki Hiltz	United States	25 April 2023	Des Moines
10	4:28.0h	Leah Pells	Canada	13 December 1997	Honolulu
11	4:28.00	Genzebe Dibaba	Ethiopia	20 July 2014	London
11	4:28.0h	Emily Lipari	United States	22 July 2022	Pittsburgh
13	4:29.0h	Maria Akraka	Sweden	1 February 1998	Santee
14	4:29.00	Morgan Uceny	United States	20 July 2014	London
15	4:29.1h	Nicole Sifuentes	Canada	10 December 2016	Honolulu
16	4:29.79	Nozomi Tanaka	Japan	9 December 2023	Honolulu
17	4:30.0h	Suzy Favor Hamilton	United States	1 February 1998	Santee
18	4:30.16	Weini Kelati Frezghi	United States	9 December 2023	Honolulu
19	4:30.24	Susan Lokayo Ejore	Kenya	9 December 2023	Honolulu
20	4:30.30	Rachel Schneider	United States	21 April 2021	Des Moines
21	4:30.3h	Marissa Damink	Netherlands	1 September 2024	Düsseldorf
22	4:30.94	Addison Wiley	United States	25 April 2023	Des Moines
23	4:31.0h	Hannah England	United Kingdom	26 May 2013	London
		Melissa Courtney-Bryant		26 May 2019	London
		Sarah McDonald
		Heather MacLean	United States	22 July 2022	Pittsburgh
		Allie Wilson	United States	22 July 2022	Pittsburgh
		Nelly Chepchirchir	Kenya	27 April 2024	Herzogenaurach

Notes

Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 4:30.0h:^[71]

• Mirriam Cherop also ran 4:24.7h (2017).
• Leah Pells also ran 4:28.0h (1998).
• Nikki Hiltz also ran 4:28.0h (2022), 4:28.07 (2023), and 4:29.7h (2019).
• Sinclaire Johnson also ran 4:28.70 (2023).
• Emily Lipari also ran 4:29.3h (2020).
• Shannon Osika also ran 4:30.0h (2021).

Youth age records

Key:   Incomplete information

Boys

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	[72]
15	3:58.35	Sam Ruthe	New Zealand	12 April 2009	19 March 2025	Auckland	[73][74]
16	3:55.44	Cameron Myers	Australia	9 June 2006	23 February 2023	Melbourne	[75]
17	3:50.15	Cameron Myers	Australia	9 June 2006	25 May 2024	Eugene	[76]
18	3:47.48 i	Cameron Myers	Australia	9 June 2006	8 February 2025	New York City	[77]
19	3:48.06	Reynold Cheruiyot	Kenya	30 July 2004	16 September 2023	Eugene	[21]

Girls

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	[78]
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	4:24.10 i	Kalkidan Gezahegne	Ethiopia	8 May 1991	20 February 2010	Birmingham
19	4:17.57	Zola Budd	Great Britain	26 May 1966	21 August 1985	Zürich

Season's bests

Men Year Time Athlete Place 1999 3:43.13 WR  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) Rome 2000 3:45.96  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) London 2001 3:44.95  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) Rome 2002 3:48.28  Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) Rome 2003 3:48.17  Paul Korir (KEN) London 2004 3:49.84  Paul Korir (KEN) London 2005 3:47.97  Daham Najim Bashir (QAT) Oslo 2006 3:50.32  Alex Kipchirchir (KEN) Oslo 2007 3:46.91  Alan Webb (USA) Brasschaat 2008 3:49.38  Andrew Baddeley (GBR) Oslo 2009 3:48.50  Asbel Kiprop (KEN) Eugene 2010 3:49.56  Asbel Kiprop (KEN) Oslo 2011 3:49.09  Haron Keitany (KEN) Eugene 2012 3:49.22  Asbel Kiprop (KEN) Oslo 2013 3:49.48  Silas Kiplagat (KEN) Eugene 2014 3:47.32  Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI) Eugene 2015 3:51.10  Ayanleh Souleiman (DJI) Eugene 2016 3:50.63 i  Matthew Centrowitz (USA) New York City 2017 3:49.04  Ronald Kwemoi (KEN) Eugene 2018 3:49.44 i  Edward Cheserek (KEN) Boston 2019 3:47.01 i  Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) Boston 2020 3:51.23  Matthew Ramsden (AUS) Milan 2021 3:47.24  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Eugene 2022 3:46.46  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Oslo 2023 3:43.73  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) Eugene 2024 3:45.34  Josh Kerr (GBR) Eugene

Women Year Time Athlete Place 1999 4:23.44  Violeta Beclea-Szekely (ROU) Nice 2000 4:21.79 i  Regina Jacobs (USA) New York City 2001 4:23.19 i  Gabriela Szabo (ROU) Stuttgart 2002 4:23.00 i  Carla Sacramento (POR) Liévin 2003 4:24.40  Natalya Yevdokimova (RUS) Heusden-Zolder 2004 4:21.57  Yelena Zadorozhnaya (RUS) Tula 2005 4:28.29  Yelena Kanales (RUS) Tula 2006 4:27.96  Carrie Tollefson (USA) Falmouth 2007 4:17.75  Maryam Yusuf Jamal (BHR) Brussels 2008 4:18.23  Gelete Burka (ETH) Rieti 2009 4:25.91 i  Jenny Simpson (USA) College Station 2010 4:23.53 i  Gelete Burka (ETH) Birmingham 2011 4:28.60 i  Jenny Simpson (USA) New York City 2012 4:26.76  Brenda Martinez (USA) Falmouth 2013 4:27.02 i  Sheila Reid (CAN) New York City 2014 4:24.11 i  Mary Cain (USA) Boston 2015 4:16.71  Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Brussels 2016 4:13.31 i  Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) Stockholm 2017 4:16.05  Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) Lausanne 2018 4:14.71  Sifan Hassan (NED) London 2019 4:12.33  Sifan Hassan (NED) Monaco 2020 4:16.81 i  Elinor Purrier (USA) Boston 2021 4:14.74  Sifan Hassan (NED) Brussels 2022 4:19.30 i  Elinor Purrier St. Pierre (USA) New York City 2023 4:07.64  Faith Kipyegon (KEN) Monaco 2024 4:16.41 i  Elinor Purrier St. Pierre (USA) New York City

• "i" indicates performance on 200m indoor track

See also

• 5 Mile - 5 mile run