New York City’s 5th Avenue Mile is one of the most exciting and iconic races to watch every year, and its 42nd running on Sunday did not disappoint. While the heavens opened a couple hours into the event, and runners took cover under trees, bleachers, and inside nearby subway stations, leading a few competitive local heats to be canceled due to thunderstorms, the professional fields were cleared to run after a brief weather delay.
The day turned out to be a Scottish sweep for the third year in a row. On the women’s side, Jemma Reekie—who also won in 2021—pulled ahead of Ireland’s Sarah Healy with less than 100 meters to go, winning in 4:19.4, with Healy in second in 4:20.0. Great Britain’s Melissa Courtney-Bryant finished third, in 4:20.6, with the top American, Nikki Hiltz, ending their season with a 4:20.7 for fourth place.
“It was just like home,” Reekie told NBC after the race, talking about the drizzly conditions. The 25-year-old stopped working with her longtime coach in March, and had a bout with mono last year, but her victory at the 5th Avenue Mile proves that she’s back in the game and one to watch.
Reigning World Athletics 1500-meter champion Josh Kerr closed out his 2023 season with a two-second victory, running 3:47.9, the fastest time at the event in 28 years. He had unfinished business on 5th Avenue after slipping and falling on the wet asphalt at last year’s start line, leading to a tenth place finish. This year, the Scotsman positioned himself at the front right away. He was followed by British runner George Mills, who took second in 3:49.9, and New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish finished in third with a 3:50-flat mile, edging out the top American, Vincent Ciattei, by three-tenths of a second.
In a post-race interview with FloTrack, Kerr talked about being mentally exhausted from all the interviews and media attention following his victory over Jakob Ingebrigtsen in Budapest, but he had the fortitude to perform phenomenally on the road anyway.
“It’s a very different effort to run a mile down the street [in] flats versus running around the oval in spikes,” he said. “I’ve got to give respect to how the body's feeling and I was able to come out on top today.”
Other notable moments on the 20-block course included Elle St. Pierre clocking a seventh place 4:23.3—just six months after giving birth to her son—in her first race post-pregnancy, and 55-year-old Jennifer Harvey winning her age group in 5:14, a considerable improvement on her pending American masters age-group record of 5:25.0 back in June. Jeannie Rice also set a pending record of 6:44 in June, and the 75-year-old ran two seconds faster on Sunday.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
