# After 27 years, there's a new record in the mile **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [July 18, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770 "2026-07-18T15:37:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/1 "2026-07-18T15:37:48Z")
Josh Kerr runs 3:42.66 for the mile, breaking the record of 3:43.13, set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. [Commentary with video of the race](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agc5iaVcPNs). Note the running time of the video. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/2 "2026-07-18T16:15:58Z")
That’s one of those quaint records and rarely run races that seems only to matter in the anglosphere. ETA: this comment should not take away from the effort to break such a record, of course that’s a great achievement. But I as a metric person always try to translate the time for a mile into a time for a 1,500m race, because that’s how I can assess it. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/3 "2026-07-18T16:25:04Z")
I guess it is considered (and is) a distinct physical challenge even though on paper it does not seem that much longer than 1500m. That means you cannot really translate the times. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/4 "2026-07-18T16:28:56Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > That’s one of those quaint records and rarely run races that seems only to matter in the anglosphere. The mile was retained as the only non-metric distance eligible for world record consideration due to it’s historical significance. Interesting fact, there has never been a non-metric track race in the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/5 "2026-07-18T16:32:23Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The mile was retained as the only non-metric distance eligible for world record consideration due to it’s historical significance. Yeah, but there are other records for metric distances that are not Olympic, like for 1000, 2000 or 3000 meters. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/6 "2026-07-18T16:35:18Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I guess it is considered (and is) a distinct physical challenge even though on paper it does not seem that much longer than 1500m. That means you cannot really translate the times. You’re surely right, it’s more than 10% more effort, and a 1500m runner who sprinted the last 100 meters in his race certainly couldn’t go on for another more than 100 meters on that speed. But I’m sure that all mile record holders also have been excellent 1500m runners. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/7 "2026-07-18T16:37:04Z")
A good question might be, why isn’t 1600m popular? That is already pretty close to a mile. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/8 "2026-07-18T16:37:39Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > That’s one of those quaint records and rarely run races that seems only to matter in the anglosphere. You’ve given me a good idea for a new thread. Just have to figure out how best to word it. **Sporting events practiced only (or almost only) by one nation, or one language “sphere”**. Meh, needs work. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/9 "2026-07-18T16:43:41Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > A good question might be, why isn’t 1600m popular? That is already pretty close to a mile. High school runs 1600/3200 meters. Neither are record eligible distances for world record consideration. ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/10 "2026-07-18T16:45:30Z")
Next to set this record might well be Sam Ruthe of New Zealand. He recently ran 3:48.88. [At age _16_. _Indoors_.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j19xb-jjaEQ) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/11 "2026-07-18T16:45:40Z")
A [much better video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi2f4ONEDg) of the race from FloTrack ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/12 "2026-07-18T16:46:10Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > **Sporting events practiced only (or almost only) by one nation, or one language “sphere”**. Hey, that’s a great thread idea! I already have an example for Germany. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/13 "2026-07-18T16:52:09Z")
You have to remember that until Roger Bannister run under 4 minutes in 1954 it was considered _impossible_. The mile mark resonates with me as I was a high school senior running track and cross country in 1964 when Jim Ryun became the first high schooler to break the 4 minute mark. He was our absolute track hero. Since then high school runners have run under 4 minutes 35 times. From 1964 to 2017, only ten boys ran a sub four minute mile. Between 2020 and 2025, twenty boys have broken the four-minute mark. No woman has broken that mark. Is it a matter of time? Most certainly. Over the years the men’s mark has fallen 17 seconds but the women’s mark in the same time period has fallen 50 seconds and stands at 4:07 today. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/14 "2026-07-18T16:52:35Z")
A thought… For many years, absolutely nobody could beat four minutes, and it was widely wondered if it was even possible. But with a new record over 17 seconds quicker than that, clearly four minutes wasn’t actually even close to the absolute limit of human physical ability. Nor are miles or minutes any sort of fundamental quantity, such that the best possible should be an integer number of minutes per mile. And yet the record stood, for a very long time. Until someone broke it, and then, relatively quickly, many others also broke it. The only explanation I can think of is that, at the top levels of performance, it’s psychology that’s limiting athletes, not physiology. > [@running\_coach](#): > > The mile was retained as the only non-metric distance eligible for world record consideration due to it’s historical significance. The marathon is just as non-metric as the mile. Both are officially defined in metric units, and neither is a neat number in metric. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/15 "2026-07-18T16:57:51Z")
The marathon is not a neat number in metric or imperial which makes it unique in the list of official records. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/16 "2026-07-18T17:02:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Until someone broke it, and then, relatively quickly, many others also broke it. The only explanation I can think of is that, at the top levels of performance, it’s psychology that’s limiting athletes, not physiology. - There’s been enormous advances in knowledge of exercise physiology and more recently, super shoes (though that’s more of a factor in distance racing on the roads). ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/17 "2026-07-18T17:05:51Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > There’s been enormous advances in knowledge of exercise physiology There was a time when the record fell repeatedly in competitions, back in (I want to say) the ‘70s or ‘80s was it? IIRC the names I remember are Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett. Maybe a third guy too? That’s from memory. I could be way off but I don’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/18 "2026-07-18T17:06:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > There’s been enormous advances in knowledge of exercise physiology and more recently, super shoes (though that’s more of a factor in distance racing on the roads). Absolutely but @Chronos 's point is that once Bannister broke it, many others also did relatively quickly before any of that happened. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/19 "2026-07-18T17:15:48Z")
That’s part of it. And also, there’s nothing physically special about four minutes, but there is something psychologically special about it. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770/20 "2026-07-18T17:28:21Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > > [@bordelond](#): > > > > **Sporting events practiced only (or almost only) by one nation, or one language “sphere”**. > > Hey, that’s a great thread idea! I already have an example for Germany. Thread started – **[clunky title and all](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sporting-events-practiced-only-or-almost-only-by-one-nation-or-one-language-sphere/1031773)**. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-27-years-theres-a-new-record-in-the-mile/1031770.md?page=2)