World’s Fastest Miles Annually
(Sub-4:00 Era)

compiled by Howard Willman
(as of September 08, 2019)

WR = mark was a World Record

i = mark made indoors (if best for year was indoors, outdoor best is also listed)

 

In ’16 Matthew Centrowitz won the slowest Olympic 1500 final in 84 years but
he also ran the fastest mile of the year at the Millrose Games (see chart).
Centro became the first U.S. miler to lead the world list since ’07. And ’16 was also the
first year of the sub-4:00 era in which the fastest mile was run indoors.

 

View American Best Chart | View U.S. Soil (All-Comers) Chart
1954 3:57.9 WR John Landy AUS Turku 6/21/54
1955 3:59.0 László Tábori HUN London 5/28/55
1956 3:58.6 John Landy AUS Melbourne 1/28/56
John Landy AUS Melbourne 4/07/56
Jim Bailey AUS Los Angeles 5/05/56
1957 3:57.2 WR Derek Ibbotson GBR London 7/19/57
1958 3:54.5 WR Herb Elliott AUS Dublin 8/06/58
1959 3:56.5 Siegfried Valentin GDR Potsdam 5/28/59
1960 3:57.0 Herb Elliott AUS Dublin 9/23/60
1961 3:57.6 Dyrol Burleson USA Eugene 5/24/61
1962 3:54.4 WR Peter Snell NZL Wanganui 1/27/62
1963 3:54.9 Peter Snell NZL Modesto 5/25/63
1964 3:54.03 WR Peter Snell NZL Auckland 11/17/64
1965 3:53.6 WR Michel Jazy FRA Rennes 6/09/05
1966 3:51.3 WR Jim Ryun USA Berkeley 7/17/66
1967 3:51.1 WR Jim Ryun USA Bakersfield 6/23/67
1968 3:53.8 Bodo Tümmler FRG Karlskrona 8/22/68
1969 3:55.9 Jim Ryun USA Los Angeles 6/07/69
1970 3:56.3 Roscoe Divine USA Eugene 6/05/70
1971 3:54.4 Kip Keino KEN Stockholm 7/06/71
1972 3:52.8 Jim Ryun USA Toronto 7/29/72
1973 3:52.17 Ben Jipcho KEN Stockholm 7/02/73
1974 3:53.2 Tony Waldrop USA Philadelphia 4/27/74
1975 3:49.4 WR John Walker NZL Gothenburg 8/12/75
1976 3:53.07 John Walker NZL Stockholm 8/09/76
1977 3:52.0 John Walker NZL Dublin 7/11/77
1978 3:52.50 Thomas Wessinghage FRG Stockholm 7/03/78
1979 3:48.95 WR Seb Coe GBR Oslo 7/17/79
1980 3:48.8 WR Steve Ovett GBR Oslo 7/01/80
1981 3:47.33 WR Seb Coe GBR Brussels 8/28/81
1982 3:47.69 Steve Scott USA Oslo 7/07/82
1983 3:49.21 Steve Scott USA Berlin 8/17/83
1984 3:49.54 Saïd Aouita MAR Zürich 8/22/84
1985 3:46.32 WR Steve Cram GBR Oslo 7/27/85
1986 3:48.31 Steve Cram GBR Oslo 7/05/86
1987 3:46.76 Saïd Aouita MAR Helsinki 7/02/87
1988 3:48.85 Steve Cram GBR Oslo 7/02/88
1989 3:49.90 Abdi Bile SOM Oslo 7/01/89
1990 3:49.31 Joe Falcon USA Oslo 7/14/90
1991 3:49.12 Noureddine Morceli ALG Lausanne 7/10/91
1992 3:48.80 William Kemei KEN Berlin 8/21/92
1993 3:44.39 WR Noureddine Morceli ALG Rieti 9/05/93
1994 3:48.67 Noureddine Morceli ALG St. Petersburg 7/26/94
1995 3:45.19 Noureddine Morceli ALG Zürich 8/16/95
1996 3:48.15 Noureddine Morceli ALG Oslo 7/05/96
1997 3:44.90 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Oslo 7/04/97
1998 3:44.60 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Nice 7/16/98
1999 3:43.13 WR Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Rome 7/07/99
2000 3:45.96 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR London 8/05/00
2001 3:44.95 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Rome 6/29/01
2002 3:48.28 Hicham El Guerrouj MAR Rome 7/12/02
2003 3:48.17 Paul Korir KEN London 8/08/03
2004 3:49.84 Paul Korir KEN London 7/30/04
2005 3:47.97 Dahame Bashir QAT Oslo 7/29/05
2006 3:50.32 Alex Kipchirchir KEN Oslo 6/02/06
2007 3:46.91 Alan Webb USA Brasschaat 7/21/07
2008 3:49.38 Andrew Baddeley GBR Oslo 6/06/08
2009 3:48.50 Asbel Kiprop KEN Eugene 6/07/09
2010 3:49.56 Asbel Kiprop KEN Oslo 6/04/10
2011 3:49.09 Haron Keitany KEN Eugene 6/04/11
2012 3:49.22 Asbel Kiprop KEN Oslo 6/07/12
2013 3:49.48 Silas Kiplagat KEN Eugene 6/01/13
2014 3:47.32 Ayanleh Souleiman DJI Eugene 5/31/14
2015 3:51.10 Ayanleh Souleiman DJI Eugene 5/30/15
2016 3:50.63i
3:51.48
Matthew
Asbel
Centrowitz
Kiprop
USA
KEN
New York
Oslo
2/20/16
6/09/16
2017 3:49.04 Ronald Kwemoi KEN Eugene 5/27/17
2018 3:49.44i
3:49.87
Edward
Timothy
Cheserek
Cheruiyot
KEN
KEN
Boston
Eugene
2/09/18
5/26/18
2019 3:47.01i
3:49.45
WRi Yomif
Samuel
Kechelcha
Tefera
ETH
ETH
Boston
London
3/03/19
7/21/19

Subscription Options

Digital Only Subscription

  • Access to Current Articles
  • Access to Current Issues
  • eTrack Results Newsletter
  • Unlimited Content from our Technique Journal, Track Coach

$88 per year (recurring)

Digital Only Premium Archive

  • Unlimited Articles
  • Access to Archived Issues
  • eTrack Results Newsletter
  • Unlimited Content from our Technique Journal, Track Coach

$138 per year (recurring)

Print + Digital Subscription

  • Access to Current Articles
  • Access to Current Issues
  • eTrack Results Newsletter
  • Unlimited Content from our Technique Journal, Track Coach
  • 12 Monthly Print Issues

$125.00 USA per year (recurring)
$173.00 Canada per year (recurring)
$223.00 Foreign per year (recurring)

Print + Digital Premium Archive

  • Unlimited Articles
  • Access to Archived Issues
  • eTrack Results Newsletter
  • Unlimited Content from our Technique Journal, Track Coach
  • 12 Monthly Print Issues

$175.00 USA per year (recurring)
$223.00 Canada per year (recurring)
$273.00 Foreign per year (recurring)

Print Only Subscription

  • 12 Monthly Print Issues
  • Does not include online access or eTrack Results Newsletter

$89.00 USA per year (recurring)
$137.00 Canada per year (recurring)
$187.00 Foreign per year (recurring)

Track Coach
(Digital Only)

  • Track Coach Quarterly Technique Journal
  • Access to Track Coach Archived Issues

Note: Track Coach is included with all Track & Field News digital subscriptions. If you are a current T&FN subscriber, purchase of a Track Coach subscription will terminate your existing T&FN subscription and change your access level to Track Coach content only. Track & Field News print only subscribers will need to upgrade to a T&FN subscription level that includes digital access to read Track Coach issues and articles online.

$19.95 every 1 year (recurring)

*Every 30 days