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Fifth Avenue Mile

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Fifth Avenue Mile
Fifth Avenue, looking north from 42nd Street
DateMid-September
LocationNew York City
Event typeRoad
DistanceMile run
Primary sponsorNew Balance since 2016
Established1981; 43 years ago (1981)
Course records
Official siteFifth Avenue Mile

The Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual 1 mile (1.6 km) road race on Fifth Avenue in New York City, United States. The race begins at 80th Street and heads twenty blocks south to 60th Street. First held on September 26, 1981,[1] the race is currently organized by New York Road Runners. The competition regularly attracts world-class runners, who compete in special heats after the regular age division heats. The Fifth Avenue Mile has also inspired similar events in the same mould, including the Anlene Orchard Mile in Singapore.[2]

Jennifer Simpson of the United States has historically been the most successful athlete at the competition, having won 8 races. The winners at the most recent edition in 2024 were Josh Kerr and Karissa Schweizer. In 2023, Kerr and Jemma Reekie won, which was the third Scottish double in succession after the 2022 victories of Jake Wightman and Laura Muir, and this of Wightman and Reekie, who won the event in 2021.

The men's record in the race is 3:44.3 set by Josh Kerr in 2024. Prior to Kerr's performance, Sydney Maree held the course record at 3:47.52 for 43 years, since the inaugural edition of the race in 1981. The women's record is 4:14.8, set by Laura Muir in 2022, which was tied by Karissa Schweizer in 2024.[3][4]

The Fifth Avenue Mile was originally held in late September or early October. In 2014 it was moved to mid September near Patriot Day. The race has been sponsored by Pepsi (1981), Mercedes-Benz (1986–1991), Discover Card (1994–1996), Donald Trump (1997–1998), Continental Airlines (2005–2010) and currently New Balance (since 2016).[5][6]

Although World Athletics recognises a road mile world record, the Fifth Avenue Mile is a point-to-point course, and is also too steep, meaning times recorded on the course cannot be ratified as a road mile world record.[7][8]

Winners

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Key:   Course record

Steve Scott, a former American mile record holder, is a two-time winner.
Britain's Paula Radcliffe had back-to-back wins in 1996 and 1997.
Jennifer Simpson won the 2011 race after becoming the 2011 World Champion over 1500 m.
Year Men's winner Nationality Time
(m:s)
Women's winner Nationality Time
(m:s)
1981 Sydney Maree  United States 3:47.52[9] Leann Warren  United States 4:25.31[10]
1982 Tom Byers 3:51.35 Debbie Scott  Canada 4:23.96
1983 Steve Scott 3:49.77 Wendy Sly  Great Britain 4:22.66
1984 John Walker  New Zealand 3:53.62 Maricica Puică  Romania 4:24.35
1985 Frank O'Mara  Ireland 3:52.28 Lynn Williams  Canada 4:25.03
1986 José Luis González  Spain 3:53.52 Maricica Puică  Romania 4:19.48
1987 Peter Elliott  Great Britain Kirsty Wade  Great Britain 4:22.70
1988 Steve Scott  United States 3:53.43 Mary Slaney  United States 4:20.03
1989 Peter Elliott  Great Britain 3:52.95 Paula Ivan  Romania 4:28.25
1990 3:47.83 PattiSue Plumer  United States 4:16.68
1991 Matthew Yates 3:56.75 Alisa Hill 4:31.57
1992 Itamar Da Silva  Brazil 4:00.37 Alicia Kelly 4:43.07
1993 Ron Harris  United States 3:58.0 Lauren Gubicza 4:37.9
1994 Jason Pyrah 3:52.3 Regina Jacobs 4:27.8
1995 Isaac Viciosa  Spain 3:47.8 Sinéad Delahunty  Ireland 4:25.2
1996 3:53.67 Paula Radcliffe  Great Britain 4:26.69
1997 3:53.66 4:22.96
1998 3:55.59 Regina Jacobs  United States 4:20.8
1999 Ben Kapsoiya  Kenya 4:05.4 Alisa Hill 4:41.3
2000 Jason Lunn  United States 4:03.9 Kim McGreevy 4:38.9
2001 John Itati  Kenya 4:02.3 Kim McGreevy 4:39.8
2002 Leonard Mucheru 3:55.2 Grace Njoki  Kenya 4:37.7
2003 John Itati 3:56 Theresa Du Toit  South Africa 4:53
2004 Elarbi Khattabi  Morocco 4:10 Andrea Haver  United States 4:51
2005 Craig Mottram  Australia 3:49.9 Carmen Douma-Hussar  Canada 4:28.0[11]
2006 Kevin Sullivan  Canada 3:54.1 Sara Hall  United States 4:28.0[12]
2007 Alan Webb  United States 3:52.7 Carmen Douma-Hussar  Canada 4:22.8[13]
2008 Nick Willis  New Zealand 3:50.5 Lisa Dobriskey  Great Britain 4:18.6[14]
2009 Andrew Baddeley  Great Britain 3:51.8 Shannon Rowbury  United States 4:23.3[15]
2010 Amine Laalou  Morocco 3:52.83 4:24.12[16]
2011 Bernard Lagat  United States 3:50.50 Jennifer Simpson 4:22.3[17]
2012 Matthew Centrowitz 3:52.4 Brenda Martinez 4:24.2[18]
2013 Nick Willis  New Zealand 3:52.1 Jennifer Simpson 4:19.3[19]
2014 Jordan McNamara  United States 3:51.0 4:19.4[20]
2015 Nick Willis  New Zealand 3:54.8 4:29.0[21]
2016 Eric Jenkins  United States 3:49.5[22] 4:18.3[23]
2017 Nick Willis  New Zealand 3:51.3 4:16.6[24]
2018 Jake Wightman  Great Britain 3:53.5 4:18.8[25]
2019 Nick Willis  New Zealand 3:51.7[26] 4:16.1[27]
2020 New York race cancelled, only virtual race with Strava (COVID-19 pandemic in the United States)
2021 Jake Wightman  Great Britain 3:49.5 Jemma Reekie  Great Britain 4:21.6
2022 Jake Wightman  Great Britain 3:49.6 Laura Muir  Great Britain 4:14.8
2023 Josh Kerr  Great Britain 3:47.9 Jemma Reekie  Great Britain 4:19.4[28]
2024 Josh Kerr  Great Britain 3:44.3 Karissa Schweizer  United States 4:14.8

See also

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References

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General

Specific

  1. ^ New York Road Runners (September 27, 2009). Rowbury and Baddeley reign over Fifth Avenue. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-27.
  2. ^ The Anlene Orchard Mile has extended its deadline. Women in Sport (June 3, 2008). Retrieved on 2011-09-25.
  3. ^ "New Balance 5th Avenue Mile presented by NYRR".
  4. ^ "Josh Kerr smashes 43-year record in winning 5th Avenue Mile". BBC Sport. September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  5. ^ Martin Fritz Huber (September 11, 2021). "New York's Magic Road Mile Returns". Outside.
  6. ^ Liam Boylan-Pett (October 2018). "When the Fifth Avenue Mile was Yuuuge". Lope Magazine.
  7. ^ "Certified road events".
  8. ^ "1 Mile Road - men - senior - all". worldathletics.org. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  9. ^ 1981 5th Avenue Mile The second fastest mile run up until then, except downhill.
  10. ^ The Magic of the Fifth Avenue Mile. The Mile. Retrieved on September 10, 2014
  11. ^ Morse, Parker (September 24, 2005). Mottram, Douma-Hussar win on Fifth Avenue. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
  12. ^ Perniciaro, Kerrin (September 30, 2006). Sullivan, Hall win on Fifth Avenue. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
  13. ^ New York Road Runners (September 29, 2007). Webb, Douma-Hussar the winners on Fifth Avenue. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
  14. ^ Wallack, Rachel (September 22, 2008). Willis and Dobriskey edge out the competition in New York. IAAF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
  15. ^ Rowbury and Baddeley reign over Fifth Avenue. IAAF/NYRRC (September 27, 2009). Retrieved on 2011-09-25.
  16. ^ Rowbury defends, Laalou breaks through at Fifth Avenue Mile. IAAF/NYRRC (September 27, 2010). Retrieved on 2013-09-23.
  17. ^ Wallack, Rachel (September 25, 2011). Simpson and Lagat take Fifth Avenue titles. IAAF/NYRRC. Retrieved on 2011-09-25.
  18. ^ Calderwood, Stuart (September 23, 2012). [1]. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-01-27.
  19. ^ Casey, Joseph(September 23, 2013). RESULTS: 5th Avenue Mile 2013 Archived October 31, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. IAAF. Retrieved on 2013-09-23.
  20. ^ New York Road Runners (September 13, 2014). Simpson Delivers, McNamara Surprises on Fifth Avenue. Retrieved on 2014-09-13.
  21. ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results".
  22. ^ "Eric Jenkins Upsets Centrowitz in 5th Avenue Mile". September 3, 2016.
  23. ^ "Jenny Simpson wins 5th Avenue Mile in New York to end successful 2016 racing season". September 3, 2016.
  24. ^ "Nick Willis (3:51.3) Wins His 4th Title & Jenny Simpson (4:16.6) Wins Her 6th at the 2017 5th Avenue Mile". September 10, 2017.
  25. ^ "The Run on: The NYRR Blog".
  26. ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results".
  27. ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results".
  28. ^ "Kerr & Reekie extend 5th Avenue Mile dominance". BBC Sport. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
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