What's Holding Back a New U.S. Mile Record?

[NotDutra5]

This all in the "one athlete" factor.

[DrJay]

Webb’s mile mark converts to 3:30.1 for 1500 and only two Americans, Lagat and Maree, have ever run faster than that, so it’s not like Americans are managing it at 1500 and simply not getting the chance to do it in a mile race. Only four of the all time US 1500 top 10 marks have come since 2007.

[DET59]

Maybe Americans are finally joining the civilized world and focusing on the right distance. (i.e. 1500m)

Good point, though the 1500 record is also ancient..

[odelltrclan]

No mention of a guy who ran 3:34 last year in HS (Kessler) or a HS athlete this year, Cade Flat at 1:46. Or Gary Martin. The talent is there. Will they find the right coaching and have the desire to pursue it?

[NotDutra5]

Maybe it's just a question of talent? No one would argue that Webb was a generational talent, all of the scrutiny surrounded life choices and coaching. Maybe we just don't have the talent. Probably the three biggest talents now, Teare, Hocker and Nuguse, were all injured this year missed the meat of the season so we'll have to wait until next summer to see how they do.

This year's 3:46 was run by a guy who was running what at age 18? 3:52 and 3:31 I think. That's where the next great miler will likely come from. Someone in that range.

[Steele]

...they need to train for and run more DL type races, and get used to going out hard and still finishing well.

No one is turning down a DL spot, and those are the only races that are "DL type" races. You know, 1:52 at the half.

It's a U.S. miler's dream for them to get a spot on the DL start line. I'm pretty sure none of them are happy running the Sir Walter Miler or the Brasschaat meet at a track with four rows of aluminum bleachers (wait, that's where Webb ran 3:46...) when they could be lining up in Monaco or Paris.

As for training, I don't think any athlete is saying, "Hey, coach, I ran 3:37 last year, let's shoot for 3:36 this year, whaddaya think?" I'm convinced that THEY think they are training hard and doing everything they can. Whether that's actually the case is another story.

Maybe it's just a question of talent? No one would argue that Webb was a generational talent, all of the scrutiny surrounded life choices and coaching. Maybe we just don't have the talent. Probably the three biggest talents now, Teare, Hocker and Nuguse, were all injured this year missed the meat of the season so we'll have to wait until next summer to see how they do.

[bobguild76]

Maybe Americans are finally joining the civilized world and focusing on the right distance. (i.e. 1500m)

Unfortunately, the high school sub-4's and the pros running 1500 have not yet translated into Americans running sub 3:30 in the 1500. Our best this year was Jonathan Davis at 3:33, 19th on the yearly list. As has been pointed out many times, they need to train for and run more DL type races, and get used to going out hard and still finishing well.

[Trickstat]

and Koblenz and Rieti, in the sub-3:50 era

Yes, but I was focusing on places that have Diamond Leagues.

[Steele]

...who presumably would prefer to do it in Oslo anyway.

He could do a lot worse.

[TN1965]

Maybe Americans are finally joining the civilized world and focusing on the right distance. (i.e. 1500m)

[gh]

Outside of Oslo and Eugene, there is a real lack of top-end meets nowadays that include a mile. In the past, there have been mile records set at meets in Brussels, Zurich and Rome.......

and Koblenz and Rieti, in the sub-3:50 era

[Trickstat]

as much as anything, a dearth of high-end mile competitions.

Outside of Oslo and Eugene, there is a real lack of top-end meets nowadays that include a mile. In the past, there have been mile records set at meets in Brussels, Zurich and Rome. Maybe you might see a few more mileraces if the WR is considered to be under threat but the most likely candidate is Ingebrigtsen, who presumably would prefer to do it in Oslo anyway.

[Bruce Kritzler]

One positive is the number of high schoolers running sub 4 (1600/mile).

[bad hammy]

as much as anything, a dearth of high-end mile competitions.

Usually at least once a year at Pre, which is normally early in the year. Maybe they'll run the mile or the 1500 at next year's Pre - the 2023 DL Final.

[Davidokun]

When was the last time anyone ran under Webb's AR? I'm not sure anyone has and most of the performances which are under Webb's records are from the late1990's/early 2000's.

Since Webb set the AR, only one faster performance: Ingebrigtsen 3:46.46 in Oslo this year. The other 15 faster performances occurred between 1985 and 2001.