How rare is a 4-minute mile?

Only 1,497 humans have ever broken the 4-minute mile — and I'm one of them. There are few events in the sport of track and field that people understand like the mile. Even people who know very little about track, know that it takes an extraordinary effort to break four minutes over the 1,609-metre race.

Is a 4-minute mile common?

Since Bannister's landmark run on May 6, 1954, sub-four-minute miles have become relatively commonplace. Over 500 American men alone have broken the four-minute mark, according to Track & Field News. That includes 21 who have run miles under four minutes since the beginning of 2018.

Is a 4-minute mile hard?

Ultimately, breaking the four-minute mile takes hard work and dedication, along with belief in oneself, he said. For many, running a mile that fast seems painful and tiring, an impossible feat.

How many high schoolers broke 4-minute mile?

Seventeen U.S. high school students have run the mile in less than four minutes since 1964.

How many people have run a 4-minute mile 2020?

During the 2019-2020 season, in which carbon spikes were largely available but the competition was largely undisrupted by COVID-19, 35 men broke 4. This year, so far, it's 75. Eleven men broke 4 minutes in the one meet I watched last weekend at Boston University – a track literally constructed to enable sub-4 miles.

The Quest for the Four Minute Mile

How fast can Usain Bolt run a mile?

That means that Bolt's speed during his world-record run was 10.44 meters per second. Since many people are more familiar with automobiles and speed limits, it might be more useful to think of this in terms of kilometers per hour or miles per hour: 37.58 or 23.35, respectively.

Can anyone run a sub 4 minute mile?

Although a man of 40 years of age, Eamonn Coghlan, has run a mile in under four minutes, achieving this feat is still a major accomplishment denied to tens of thousands of other athletes.

How many subs are 4 milers in high school?

Only five high school athletes have ran sub-4 minute miles during a high school-only competition. And before Martin, only one high school athlete did it without the help of a pacer. That was Ryun. On Monday, Martin broke Ryun's high school record – by less than a second.

Has any woman broke 4 minute mile?

No woman has yet run a four-minute mile. The women's world record is currently at 4:12.33, set by Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco on 12 July 2019.

What's the fastest high school mile?

This past Saturday, Archbishop Wood senior Gary Martin set a record by running a mile in 3:57.98 with no pacer aid. His feat broke the record previously held by Olympic silver medalist Jim Ryun in 1965. Ryun's mark was 3:58.3.

Who ran first 4 minute mile?

In Oxford, England, 25-year-old medical student Roger Bannister cracks track and field's most notorious barrier: the four-minute mile. Bannister, who was running for the Amateur Athletic Association against his alma mater, Oxford University, won the mile race with a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds.

Why was the 4 minute mile considered impossible?

According to legend, experts said for years that the human body was simply not capable of a 4-minute mile. It wasn't just dangerous; it was impossible. Further legends hold that people had tried for over a thousand years to break the barrier, even tying bulls behind them to increase the incentive to do the impossible.

How do you break a 4 minute mile?

Example: best mile 4:08 (62/400), run 400s in 58secs, 3mins rest. DAY 5 (Aerobic, 95% VO2max). Run 5 X 1K 8secs per 400m slower than for best mile time. Example: Best mile 4:04 (61/400), run at 69/400 = 2mins.

What is the fastest mile ever run?

Elite marathon runners average a mile in around 4 to 5 minutes. The current world record for one mile is 3:43.13, set by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999.

Who ran 2nd sub 4-minute mile?

John Michael Landy AC CVO MBE FTSE OLY (12 April 1930 – 24 February 2022) was an Australian middle-distance runner and state governor. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run and held the world records for the 1500-metre run and the mile race.

What's the world's fastest mile run?

The world record in the mile run is the fastest time set by a runner in the middle-distance track and field event. World Athletics is the official body which oversees the records. Hicham El Guerrouj is the current men's record holder with his time of 3:43.13, while Sifan Hassan has the women's record of 4:12.33.

What is the fastest mile for a 14 year old?

While Reilly finished eighth in his heat, his time of 4:19.01 broke the 14-year-old age group world record of 4:19.73 set in 2010 by Ryan Silva, an Arizona native and now a Stanford graduate.

How many people have run a 4-minute-mile?

Only 1,497 humans have ever broken the 4-minute mile — and I'm one of them. There are few events in the sport of track and field that people understand like the mile. Even people who know very little about track, know that it takes an extraordinary effort to break four minutes over the 1,609-metre race.

What is a good mile time for a high school boy?

In most parts of the U.S., high school boys who can run a sub-4:00 mile can be very competitive on the high school track and cross country teams (the most elite can run an under-3:60 mile). The same is true for high school girls who can run a sub-5:00 mile (the fastest times are below 4:40).

Is a 3 minute mile possible?

Common wisdom and scientific knowledge perceived a sub-four-minute mile to be an insurmountable barrier until Sir Roger Bannister set a world record time of 3min 59.4sec in 1954. Since then, a new world record has been set 18 times, the current record of 3:43.13 being clocked in 1999.

How fast can a cheetah run a mile?

The top speed of a cheetah is around 69 to 75 mph. However, the cat can only sprint a short distance of around 0.28 miles. A cheetah is about 2.7 times faster than the fastest human runner. A cheetah accelerates very quickly, allowing it to overtake prey at close range.

What percentage of the population can run a 5 minute mile?

The percentage of american males who could at some point in their lives break 5 min for the mile if they focused on it (i.e., are genetically capable of this athletic feat) is probably somewhere around 10%. The percentage of all Americans who could break 5 minutes TODAY is probably less than 0.01% .

How many mph is a 4 minute mile?

Running a 4-minute mile is an incredible feat, and one not too many people can boast. To accomplish it, runners must maintain an average speed of 15 miles per hour, and it takes serious strength and endurance to do that.

How long should it take a 12 year old to run a mile?

A 12-year-old boy who can complete a 1-mile run in eight minutes and 40 seconds sits at about the 50th percentile in comparison to other boys his age. Any time faster than 8:40 would be considered a good time, since it puts the boy in the top half of his age class.