The Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual mile road race in New York City. The race begins at East 80th Street and heads straight down Fifth Avenue to East 60th Street. Founded in 1981, the race is currently organized by New York Road Runners and has attracted big-name sponsors including Continental Airlines and Reebok.
1981 Sydney Maree 3:47
1982 Tom Byers 3:51
1983 Steve Scott 3:49
1984 John Walker 3:53
1985 Frank O'Mara 3:52
1986 Jose-Luis Gonzales 3:53
1987 Peter Elliott 3:53
1988 Steve Scott 3:53
1989 Peter Elliott 3:52
1990 Peter Elliott 3:47
1991 Matthew Yates 3:56
1992 Itamar Da Silva 4:00
1993 Ron Harris 3:58
1994 Jason Pyrah 3:52
1995 Isaac Viciosa 3:47
1996 Isaac Viciosa 3:53
1997 Isaac Viciosa 3:53
1998 Isaac Viciosa 3:55
1999 Ben Kapsoiya 4:05
2000 Jason Lund 4:03
2001 John Itati 4:02
2002 Leonard Mucheru 3:55
2003 John Itati 3:56
2004 Elarbi Khattabi 4:10
2005 Craig Mottram 3:49
2006 Kevin Sullivan 3:54
2007 Alan Webb 3:52
2008 Nick Willis 3:50
Great Moments in Mile History
There is no unit of measurement in the world that holds as much mystique and history as the mile—and no event in track and field that has sparked so much enthusiasm and folklore. A look at some of the great moments in the history of this great event.
1592—British Parliament defines the mile to be exactly eight furlongs (or 80 chains, 320 rods, 1760 yards, or 5280 feet) in length. Originally, the mile derived its name from the Latin mille, or “thousand,” because it was the approximate distance a Roman soldier could march in 1000 paces.
1850—With the introduction of exact standards for measuring running tracks, record keeping became possible.
August 19, 1865—At a meet in Manchester, England, 15,000 spectators came to watch the world’s best milers compete for the title of Champion Miler of England. Englishman William Lang and Welshman William Richards finished in a tie, each timed in 4:17 ¼. Their record time remained untouched for 21 years.
August 23, 1886—Before 20,000 Londoners, Englishman Walter George stopped the clocks in 4:12 ¾, a record that would stand for a shade under 29 years.
1896-1900—With the advent of the modern Olympic Games, many races were contested at the “metric mile” or 1500 meter distance. In those early days, the idea of Olympic Glory was not as compelling as it is today, and many of the world’s best milers chose not to compete. American hopeful John Cregan withdrew from the 1500 meters of the 1900 Olympics because he refused to race on a Sunday.
July 16, 1915—In a race specifically set up to be an attempt at the world record, American Norman Taber knocked a split-second off George’s record, clocking 4:12 3/5. Three years earlier, Taber had won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm.
August 23, 1923—“The Flying Finn” Paavo Nurmi sanded the record down to 4:10.4 in Stockholm. Competing on the same track the very next day, Nurmi broke the world three-mile record. Nurmi would finish his career with seven Olympic gold medals, and at one time held every world record between 1500 and 10,000 meters.
October 4, 1931—Frenchman Jacque Ladoumegue became the first man under the 4:10 barrier with a 4:09.2 clocking in Paris. He then became the first man to run under 3:50 for 1500 meters with a 3:49.2 effort the very next day.
1933-1941—In the run-up to World War II, New Zealander Jack Lovelock, American Glen Cunningham, and Englishman Sydney Wooderson all took turns holding the record, with Wooderson eventually bringing it down to 4:06.4. In 1941, two Swedish athletes—Arne Andersson and Gunder Hägg—showed potential by both coming within two seconds of Wooderson’s record.
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1981 Sydney Maree 3:47
1982 Tom Byers 3:51
1983 Steve Scott 3:49
1984 John Walker 3:53
1985 Frank O'Mara 3:52
1986 Jose-Luis Gonzales 3:53
1987 Peter Elliott 3:53
1988 Steve Scott 3:53
1989 Peter Elliott 3:52
1990 Peter Elliott 3:47
1991 Matthew Yates 3:56
1992 Itamar Da Silva 4:00
1993 Ron Harris 3:58
1994 Jason Pyrah 3:52
1995 Isaac Viciosa 3:47
1996 Isaac Viciosa 3:53
1997 Isaac Viciosa 3:53
1998 Isaac Viciosa 3:55
1999 Ben Kapsoiya 4:05
2000 Jason Lund 4:03
2001 John Itati 4:02
2002 Leonard Mucheru 3:55
2003 John Itati 3:56
2004 Elarbi Khattabi 4:10
2005 Craig Mottram 3:49
2006 Kevin Sullivan 3:54
2007 Alan Webb 3:52
2008 Nick Willis 3:50
Great Moments in Mile History
There is no unit of measurement in the world that holds as much mystique and history as the mile—and no event in track and field that has sparked so much enthusiasm and folklore. A look at some of the great moments in the history of this great event.
1592—British Parliament defines the mile to be exactly eight furlongs (or 80 chains, 320 rods, 1760 yards, or 5280 feet) in length. Originally, the mile derived its name from the Latin mille, or “thousand,” because it was the approximate distance a Roman soldier could march in 1000 paces.
1850—With the introduction of exact standards for measuring running tracks, record keeping became possible.
August 19, 1865—At a meet in Manchester, England, 15,000 spectators came to watch the world’s best milers compete for the title of Champion Miler of England. Englishman William Lang and Welshman William Richards finished in a tie, each timed in 4:17 ¼. Their record time remained untouched for 21 years.
August 23, 1886—Before 20,000 Londoners, Englishman Walter George stopped the clocks in 4:12 ¾, a record that would stand for a shade under 29 years.
1896-1900—With the advent of the modern Olympic Games, many races were contested at the “metric mile” or 1500 meter distance. In those early days, the idea of Olympic Glory was not as compelling as it is today, and many of the world’s best milers chose not to compete. American hopeful John Cregan withdrew from the 1500 meters of the 1900 Olympics because he refused to race on a Sunday.
July 16, 1915—In a race specifically set up to be an attempt at the world record, American Norman Taber knocked a split-second off George’s record, clocking 4:12 3/5. Three years earlier, Taber had won the bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm.
August 23, 1923—“The Flying Finn” Paavo Nurmi sanded the record down to 4:10.4 in Stockholm. Competing on the same track the very next day, Nurmi broke the world three-mile record. Nurmi would finish his career with seven Olympic gold medals, and at one time held every world record between 1500 and 10,000 meters.
October 4, 1931—Frenchman Jacque Ladoumegue became the first man under the 4:10 barrier with a 4:09.2 clocking in Paris. He then became the first man to run under 3:50 for 1500 meters with a 3:49.2 effort the very next day.
1933-1941—In the run-up to World War II, New Zealander Jack Lovelock, American Glen Cunningham, and Englishman Sydney Wooderson all took turns holding the record, with Wooderson eventually bringing it down to 4:06.4. In 1941, two Swedish athletes—Arne Andersson and Gunder Hägg—showed potential by both coming within two seconds of Wooderson’s record.
READ ON...
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