Two miles
"Two mile run" redirects here. For the stream in Pennsylvania, see
Twomile Run.
The 2 mile (10,560 feet or exactly 3,218.688 metres) is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters (and corresponding bonus payment for participants), as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200 m in NFHS American high school competitions. The IAAF no longer keeps official world records for this distance; they are called world best instead.
The world best for men is 7:58.61 set by Kenyan Daniel Komen in Hechtel, Belgium on 19 July 1997. The women's record is 8:58.58, set by Ethiopian Meseret Defar in Brussels, Belgium on 14 September 2007.
World Record Progression
Men
Outdoors
TIME |
ATHLETE |
DATE |
PLACE |
9:17.0 |
Alfred Shrubb (GBR) |
1903-09-12 |
London, United Kingdom |
9:08.4 |
Alfred Shrubb (GBR) |
1904-06-11 |
Glasgow, United Kingdom |
9:08.4 |
Edvin Wide (SWE) |
1925-06-23 |
Kramfors, Sweden |
9:01.4 |
Edvin Wide (SWE) |
1926-09-12 |
Berlin, Germany |
8:59.6 |
Paavo Nurmi (FIN) |
1931-06-24 |
Helsinki, Finland |
8:58.4 |
Don Lash (USA) |
1936-06-13 |
Princeton, USA |
8:57.4 |
Gunnar Höckert (FIN) |
1936-09-24 |
Stockholm, Sweden |
8:56.0 |
Miklós Szabó (HUN) |
1937-09-30 |
Budapest, Hungary |
8:53.2 |
Taisto Mäki (FIN) |
1939-06-07 |
Helsinki, Finland |
8:47.8 |
Gunder Hägg (SWE) |
1942-06-03 |
Stockholm, Sweden |
8:46.4 |
Gunder Hägg (SWE) |
1944-06-25 |
Östersund, Sweden |
8:42.8 |
Gunder Hägg (SWE) |
1944-08-04 |
Stockholm, Sweden |
8:40.4 |
Gaston Reiff (BEL) |
1952-08-26 |
Paris, France |
8:33.4 |
Sándor Iharos (HUN) |
1955-05-30 |
London, United Kingdom |
8:32.0 |
Albie Thomas (AUS) |
1958-08-07 |
Dublin, Ireland |
8:30.0 |
Murray Halberg (NZL) |
1961-06-07 |
Jyväskylä, Finland |
8:29.8 |
Jim Beatty (USA) |
1962-06-08 |
Los Angeles, USA |
8:29.6 |
Michel Jazy (FRA) |
1963-06-06 |
Paris, France |
8:26.4 |
Bob Schul (USA) |
1964-08-29 |
Los Angeles, USA |
8:22.6 |
Michel Jazy (FRA) |
1965-06-23 |
Melun, France |
8:19.8 |
Ron Clarke (AUS) |
1967-07-27 |
Västerås, Sweden |
8:19.6 |
Ron Clarke (AUS) |
1968-08-24 |
London, United Kingdom |
8:17.8 |
Emiel Puttemans (BEL) |
1971-08-21 |
Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
8:14.0 |
Lasse Virén (FIN) |
1972-08-14 |
Stockholm, Sweden |
8:13.8 |
Brendan Foster (GBR) |
1973-08-27 |
London, United Kingdom |
8:13.51 |
Steve Ovett (GBR) |
1978-09-15 |
London, United Kingdom |
8:13.45 |
Saïd Aouita (MAR) |
1987-05-28 |
Turin, Italy |
8:12.17 |
Khalid Skah (MAR) |
1993-06-30 |
Hechtel, Belgium |
8:09.01 |
Moses Kiptanui (KEN) |
1994-06-30 |
Hechtel, Belgium |
8:07.46 |
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) |
1995-05-27 |
Kerkrade, Netherlands |
8:03.54 |
Daniel Komen (KEN) |
1996-07-14 |
Lappeenranta, Finland |
8:01.10 |
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) |
1997-05-31 |
Hengelo, Netherlands |
7:58.61 |
Daniel Komen (KEN) |
1997-07-19 |
Hechtel, Belgium |
Indoors
Women
Outdoors
Indoors
High school boys
Note: this list only covers boys because the history of 2 mile running largely occurred before Title IX, before high school girls were allowed to compete, which occurred about the same time as conversion to metric distances.[1]
TIME |
ATHLETE |
SCHOOL |
CITY |
DATE |
PLACE |
8:57.8 |
Mike Ryan |
Wilcox High School |
Santa Clara, California |
1965 |
|
8:48.3 |
Rick Riley |
Ferris High School |
Spokane, Washington |
May 28, 1966 |
Washington State Championships[2] |
8:41.5 |
Steve Prefontaine |
Marshfield High School |
Coos Bay, Oregon |
April 25, 1969 |
Corvallis Invitational, Corvallis, Oregon[2] |
8:40.9 |
Craig Virgin |
Lebanon High School |
Lebanon, Illinois |
June 9, 1973 |
International Prep Invitational, Prospect, Illinois[2] |
(8:40.0i) |
Gerry Lindgren |
Rogers High School |
Spokane, Washington |
February 15, 1964 |
Cow Palace, Daly City, California[3] |
8:36.3 |
Jeff Nelson |
Burbank High School |
Burbank, California |
May 6, 1979 |
Pepsi Invitational, Westwood, Los Angeles, California |
8:34.23 |
German Fernandez |
Riverbank High School |
Riverbank, California |
June 20, 2008 |
Nike Outdoor Nationals, Greensboro, North Carolina video |
8:29.46 |
Lukas Verzbicas |
Carl Sandburg High School |
Orland Hills, Illinois |
June 4, 2011 |
Prefontaine Classic, Eugene, Oregon video |
See also
Notes
External links
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