On Thursday at the Stade Charléty in Paris, Faith Kipyegon ran the fastest recorded mile ever for a woman, stopping the clock in 4:06.42. The race was an exhibition set up for Kipyegon to become the first woman to break 4 minutes in the mile.
Although she fell short of her goal and the performance won’t count as an official record since it used male pacers and unapproved spikes, it is incredibly impressive, nonetheless.
Here are some of the most mind-blowing stats from Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile.
1.22 seconds: The time Kipyegon shaved off her previous personal best of 4:07.64, which is the current world record.
61.3 seconds: Kipyegon’s average split per 400 meters.
14.6 mph: Kipyegon’s average speed during the attempt. (Try that on a treadmill!)
1609: Number of meters Kipyegon ran to make history.
3: Number of Olympic gold medals Kipyegon has won in the 1500 meters (2016, 2021, and 2024).
3:42.84: The equivalent performance for men, according to World Athletics scoring tables.
13: Number of pacers that Kipyegon used during the race.
3 grams: The weight of the upper material on each of her custom Nike Victory Elite FK spikes—the equivalent of just three paper clips.
7: The age of Kipyegon’s daughter, Alyn, whose birthday is this month.
71: Years since Roger Bannister became the first person to break the 4:00 barrier, running 3:59.40 on May 6, 1954.
4:12.33: The mile time of Sifan Hassan, who is the second-fastest woman ever in the event.
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Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
