Faith's magic mile
On June 26, Faith Kipyegon set out to run a mile faster than four minutes — a feat no woman has done before. It felt like the entire world, or at least the global running community, was watching. She was six seconds shy of breaking that barrier but the pursuit of that goal is worth celebrating. She set an unofficial world record of 4:06:42 — beating her own time, the current world record, by one second.
“One day, one time a woman will run under four,” she said after the race. “I will not lose hope.” She also mentioned she will keep trying and pushing for that outcome.
This Saturday, Kipyegon has set her sights on breaking another world record, her own, in the 1,500-meter distance — which is just short of a mile. She’ll chase this goal at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, which serves as the last stop of the 2025 Diamond League event.
Kipyegon’s Breaking4 challenge, which took place at the Stade Charléty track in Paris, was supported by Nike. It comes eight years after their Breaking2 project, which sought to see if a man could run a marathon in under two hours. Eliud Kipchoge, who attempted that feat in 2017, fell 26 seconds short of that ambitious goal, but made it in 1:59:40 two years later.
Kipchoge was also there to support Kipyegon as she attempted to break four minutes in the mile. In their respective quests, they were supported by exercise physiologists, some of the world’s fastest runners who helped with pacing, new aerodynamic gear, and fast shoes, or in Kipyegon’s case spikes, while publicly attempting each challenge.
As Kipyegon raced around the track, she looked strong, determined, and powerful. She ran with explosive speed from the start and kept it throughout the race. Once she reached the tape, she collapsed. After she rose, she proclaimed “It’s possible.” She explained that, “It’s only a matter of time but I think it will come our way. If it’s not me it will be somebody else.” After she recovered, she ran a victory lap around the track, which was decorated in “power purple,” and greeted fans of all ages who came to watch the event.
One of my favorite parts of watching the race was seeing two young boys cheerfully greet her from the stadium. They were thrilled to see the world’s fastest woman and mile record holder right before their eyes. This star-struck moment reminded me of one of the best parts of this race, which is the impact that lofty goals like these can have on the next generation.
Within the past several years, we have had decorated events uniting researchers, experts, athletes, and fans in a quest to test a person’s resilience, spirit, speed, and physical limits in both distance running and track.
Another aspect I liked was the attention this event put on women’s running and challenging yourself. I’m sure that many people — of all ages, abilities, and preferences for running different events — likely thought, ‘If Kipyegon, the fastest woman to race a mile, can beat her own time maybe I can run faster, too.’ Going out to race four laps around the track is something that can be as fun or as serious as you want it to be. If Kipyegon’s challenge gets people moving in the pursuit of fun, for health, or mastery — that’s a victory in itself.
An additional aspect I liked about this feat is that a mile is accessible. This applies to a sprinter scaling up in distance or to a marathon runner looking to test their speed. Getting out the door to see how fast you can run a mile and eventually break your own time is something worth investing in and celebrating. Kipyegon showed us how.
“Everything is possible,” she said after her race. “I hope I will get it one day, one time.”
As part of her post-race interview, she also shared advice for her daughter and young girls. “We are unlimited,” she said. “We can limit ourselves with our thoughts, but I think we are supposed to try everything in our lives and prove to the world that we are strong and we can push it.”
I’m looking forward to following Kipyegon’s journey, including her race this Saturday. It’s safe to say this event was a warm up for much more to come.
Resources:
To watch a replay of Kipyegon’s Breaking4 race, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/live/kZNHaUtLCnA.
To learn about the 2025 Prefontaine Classic this Saturday, July 5, visit https://www.olympics.com/en/news/prefontaine-classic-2025-preview-schedule-watch-eugene-diamond-league-athletics.