Mile run

Gunder Hägg (right) defeats Arne Andersson with a world record in the 4:06.2 min mile in Gothenburg in 1942.

The Mile race is a type of foot race from England, whose distance to cover agrees with this itinerary unit of measurement, 1609.344 meters (or 1760 yards). It was very popular during the 1950s and 1960s, but in 1976 the IAAF decided to make all races official with the international metric system and was replaced by the 1500 meters. Leaving the mile as a test to be carried out occasionally due to its great historical weight in the middle distance. It is played mainly on two surfaces: track and asphalt. The second is very popular due to its attractiveness, as it is a medium-distance race that is usually held on an urban circuit, giving several laps and allowing the athletes to evolve during almost the entire event.

Milestones in the mile race

• The first athlete capable of completing this distance in less than four minutes, Roger Bannister on May 6, 1954, discrediting some scientists and doctors who claimed that it was an impossible barrier to go beyond human beings.
• New Zealand athlete John Walker was the first athlete to run 100 mile races in less than four minutes. He completed a total of 129 throughout his career on foot.
• The American Steve Scott is the athlete that most mile racing has performed below the four minutes with a total of 136.
• The present masculine plusmark belongs to the Moroccan Hicham el Guerrouj with a mark of 3:43.23, beaten in Rome on 7 July 1999.
• The current female surplus is in power of the Russian Svetlana Masterkova with a 4:12.56 mark made in Zurich on 14 August 1996.