MILE RACING GOT A BOOST at the London DL. Josh Kerr, vocal for months about his intentions, knocked down the World Record — and not by just a sliver — that Hicham El Guerrouj had held for 27 years . The 28-year-old Scotsman whacked nearly a half-second, 0.47, from the Moroccan great’s standard.
Though Kerr and his Brooks Beasts team kept fans actively engaged in the lead-up with a steady social media flow about his custom shoes, his speedsuit and his altitude-simulating bedroom, he shared the sweat and toil of his training regimen, as well, and picked London, the great “Metrop” of the UK, for his venue. The symbolism of the location choice set against the hallowed tradition of the mile — a “British” event, if there ever was one — rounded out the appeal of the package.
Kerr welcomed first-rate competitors and committed to making this a genuine race, the essence of “let’s line up and to the victor go the spoils.” That, too, heightened anticipation, which the new mile recordman delivered upon amid the sonic celebration of 60,000 in the British capital’s Olympic Stadium.
American Recordholder Yared Nuguse fought tooth and nail to 2nd in 3:45.69 and now holds three slots on an exclusive compilation, non-winning miles of 3:45 or faster. The On AC star’s 3:43.97 behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the ’23 Pre Classic/DL Final is No. 2 on that list. Sydney Olympic gold medalist Noah Ngeny’s 3:43.13 behind El Guerrouj in the ’99 WR race and Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s 3:45.60 following Kerr at the ’24 Pre Classic are the only other entries.
Well challenged!
I wonder, though… No, “hope” is the more operative word… Will Kerr’s feat have served as the starting gun for Part 2 of the sport’s current “Golden Age of Miling”? Miling, of course, inclusive of 1500m racing.
The Paris ’24 medal clash at 1500m was historic, stacked to the gunwales with drama and went in Olympic Record time, 3:27.65. “It was a race to forever remember,” wrote Jeff Hollobaugh in our race report, “and Jakob Ingebrigtsen made it happen, even though his bold plan backfired and he was left without a medal. Instead, Cole Hocker celebrated after a stunning inside stretch run that led to gold in an Olympic Record in the best U.S. team finish in over 100 years.”
The medals went to Hocker, then-reigning world champion Kerr (3:27.79 a PR at the time) and Nuguse (3:27.80, also a PR).
Beaten into 4th but not broken was the miler of the preceding 3 seasons, Ingebrigtsen, who had bravely mounted a ferocious front-running gambit. The Norwegian’s time, 3:28.24, was 0.08 faster than the then-Olympic Record he’d set at Tokyo ’21 when he was just 19. Don’t forget either that American Hobbs Kessler PRed in 5th at 3:29.45 in Paris and teen sensation Niels Laros sped under 3:30 with 3:29.54. That made the Dutch 19-year-old No. 2 all-time among Junior (U20) 1500 men; at this writing, he’s No. 3.
A golden age in the mile was indeed afoot, still is, and shows every sign of rolling on.
The next development I’ll be watching with bated breath is Ingebrigtsen’s return. In February, he underwent an Achilles repair by renowned orthopedic surgeon Amol Saxena.
The 25-year-old middle distance ace wrote on Instagram that the procedure to address “a persistent and very specific injury that forced me to miss a lot of training and racing [over the course of 2 seasons] went very smoothly and I’m relieved to have a clear path of recovery back to the start line after many months of uncertainty.”
Now the comeback is nigh. In late July, with another Instagram post, Ingebrigtsen declared, “If you’re waiting for the perfect preparation, perfect conditions, perfect timing, you’ll be waiting your whole life.
“Anyone who has watched me race over the years will know that competition is what drives me. I am healthy, training has been going well and after discussing with my team, we reached the conclusion that there is no reason not to race.
“What better way than to return to the European Championships, where I have so many golden memories. I’ll be lining up for the 5000m August 10th. Thank you for all the support.”
Think what a successful return by the brash Nordmann might mean for miling as the Beijing27 Worlds and LA28 Olympics draw near.
The ranks are overflowing with talent. Until now I’ve not even mentioned this year’s Pre Classic mile winner Cam Myers, or Kiwi Sam Ruthe, he of the 3:48.88 mile clocking at age 16 last December.
Nine of the 15 fastest men to ever lace ’em up for a 1500 are active. You drooling over the possibilities? I am. ◻︎
