Elite runners complete a one-mile run with time to spare in less time than it takes to prepare a five-minute supper in the microwave. More amazingly, by cutting tiny seconds off their fastest mile time, some of these individuals continue to demonstrate that we have not yet reached the pinnacle of physical achievement.
They studied the official records from World Athletics, the global governing body for athletics, to find out more about these amazing achievements. These are men and women people who hold the mile record.
Women’s Top 5 Fastest Mile Times
All five of the women’s top five mile times were in under 4 minutes and 15 seconds.
5. Ciara Mageean
While another runner on this list took first place that day, she nevertheless managed to defeat Sonia O’Sullivan, an Irish runner who had held the record in Ireland since 1994 with a time of 4:17.26. Additionally, Mageean beat her own record for the fastest mile run (4:19.03), achieved in 2019.
4. Genzebe Dibaba
On February 17, 2016, Genzebe Dibaba, an Ethiopian, ran a mile in 4:13.31 at Stockholm’s Globe Arena. She broke the world indoor mile record set in 1990 by Romanian Doina Melinte on that day. (She’s broken prior indoor world records.)
Her prior experience running the track gave her a competitive edge. Dibaba stated at the time, “I know this track well, and it is very good for me.” “The only thing that was difficult was the conditions in the arena — it felt very cold.”
3. Masterkova Svetlana
On August 14, 1996, in Zürich, Russian runner Svetlana Masterkova ran a 4:12.56 mile. Eighteen months after giving birth to her first child, she ran the fast mile. “I knew when I was carrying the baby I wanted to get back to running — and I did in two months,” she stated in 1996.
Until 2019, she was the world record holder.
2. Sifan Hassan
Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan ran a mile in 4.12:33 at Stade Louis II in Monaco on July 12, 2019. Despite not beating her previous personal best of 4:14.71 by the desired “three or four seconds,” she did became the first woman to win the world championship in the mile run.
1. Faith Kipyegon
At the Diamond League race on July 21, 2023, Faith Kipyegon set a new world record. She completed the mile in 4:07.64, over five seconds faster than Hassan.
The Kenyan athlete, who trains under Patrick Sang, said of the race: “I really enjoyed the race. I came for that. I wanted to chase the world record and thanks god, it was amazing.”
Men’s Top 5 Fastest Mile Times
The top five-mile times for men were all set in Oregon or Italy.
5. Noureddine Morceli
With a time of 3:44.39 in 1993, Algerian Noureddine Morceli emerged as the world champion at Rieti, Italy. That was his title till 1999.
He said that the perfect conditions enabled him to win by an amount of 11 seconds over his rivals. “I’d been close three times this season, but never had good atmospheric conditions,” remarked Morceli.
4. Yared Nuguse
American athlete Yared Nuguse raced the mile at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on September 16, 2023, in 3:43:97.
Nuguse started running in his first year of high school. After he completed a timed fast mile in his physical education class, Tim Holman, his coach, was resolved to convince him to join track.
“I was like, ‘No, I’m not really a sporting person, sorry,” Nuguse said. “[Holman] kept persisting and being annoying about it, so I was like, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ But it ended up being a really, really fun track season and one of a lot of learning.”
3. Jakob Ingebrigtsen
On September 16, 2023, Jakob Ingebrigsten of Norway faced off against Nuguse and other competitors, clocking a time of 3:43.73 in Oregon. His family has a history of running.
2. Noah Ngeny
Kenyan athlete Noah Ngeny ran a mile in 3:43.40 in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on July 7, 1999.
1. Hicham El Guerrouj
Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj set a new men’s mile record with a time of 3:43.13. The record he set in Rome on July 7, 1999, has not been surpassed by any other runner.
What Is a Good Mile Time for an Unprofessional Runner?
The average mile time for intermediate adult runners, or those who outpace 50% of similar demographics, varies from approximately 6:37 to 10:21, contingent on age, sex, and fitness level, among other factors.
Younger runners typically have faster times because of their better rates of recovery, hence age is a major factor.
Mens and womens of the same age and training level usually have faster average times because of physiological differences in muscle mass and cardiorespiratory efficiency.
Performance is directly impacted by training intensity, which includes frequency, duration, and type (e.g., interval vs. long-distance training), allowing gains in endurance and speed.
