The men’s mile at the Prefontaine Classic pitted two very fast men who like to run their mouths—Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and Josh Kerr of Great Britain—against each other, and against several other very fast men who just like to run.
In the end, Kerr won the race in 3:45.34, breaking a 38-year-old national record and becomine the sixth-fastest man of all time in the event. Ingebrigtsen was second in 3:45.60, and American Yared Nuguse was third in 3:46.22.
The next chapter of the rivalry will unfold at the Olympics in Paris. The first round of the men’s 1500 meters goes off on August 2.
To recap how we got here: Ingebrigtsen, 23, widely considered the best miler in the world and the 2021 Olympic gold medalist in the 1500, has been upset at the last two world championships. Jake Wightman, 29, of Great Britain beat him in 2022, and Kerr, 26, beat him in 2023.
Kerr and Ingebrigtsen have been engaged in a war of words since last summer, with Ingebrigtsen at one point saying he could beat Kerr “blindfolded.” Kerr refused to back down, questioning Ingebrigtsen’s manners.
At the prerace press conference on May 24, when asked to talk about their relationship, Kerr said, “I wouldn’t say this is a counseling session.”
Meanwhile, Nuguse, who ran 3:43.97 at the this meet last September, finishing just behind Ingebrigtsen (3:43.73), sat on the stage and answered questions about Taylor Swift and Pokémon. Later the American record-holder told Runner’s World, he doesn’t feel left out of their rivalry. “I think it’s very funny, especially when you’re in the room there,” he said. “I’ve never really been a drama kind of person anyway.” And Wightman, after spending all of 2023 injured, wasn’t invited to appear at the press conference.
One day later, it was time to let their running do the talking.
The race went out in a blistering 55.91 for the first 400 meters and 1:52.74 for the 800-meter meter split. With 600 meters to go, Kerr moved to the front, with Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse on his heels. At the bell, all three athletes plus Wightman were in contention. Kerr was able to hold off a hard-charging Ingebrigtsen on the homestretch. Kerr’s final lap was 54.64 seconds.
The entire field appeared to be in excellent form with two months still to go until the Olympics. Wightman, who finished fifth in 3:47.83, couldn’t believe he could run a personal best by 3 seconds and still find himself dissatisfied. But he has time to close the gap.
“My dad (who coaches him) is good at peaking me when it matters,” he said. “I’ve got two months.”
Nuguse was happy with his time and place—1.5 seconds ahead of Neil Gourley of Great Britain in fourth.
“I still feel like I’m in a really good position strength-wise,” Nuguse said. “I was able to keep with them and really kind of stick in a place where I wanted to be. Now it’s just working that last 100 bit that I usually have a little stronger, and I’ll be in a really good position. It’s a great start to the meat and potatoes of the outdoor season.”
It is, Kerr said, a “golden era” for men in the 1500 and mile.
“You need to take the lead at some point in the race to go out and win it,” he said about his move with 600 to go. “So why not take it out when it’s early in the season and everyone’s kind of not trusting their instincts quite yet.” He also downplayed the rivalry with Ingebrigtsen. “The media spins things,” he said.
Ingebrigtsen, who lost months of training time over the winter to an Achilles injury, was pleased with the results and continued his bold talk for the rest of the summer. He’ll double in the 1500 and 5,000 meters in Paris.
“I think I’m going to win both in Paris,” he said. “But if that is to happen, I really need to have a flawless next two months. Which I believe that I’m able to do.”
Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!
