Just try to stop Faith Kipyegon. On Saturday 5 July, at the stateside 2025 Prefontaine Classic, the Kenyan front runner excelled yet again by breaking her own 1500m world record for the third – yes, third – time. Storming over the finish line in 3:48.68, the 31-year-old shaved 0.36 seconds off her previous best of 3:49.04 to become the first-ever woman to break 3:49 for 1500m.
Named after the late, great Steve Prefontaine, the Prefontaine Classic – held in Eugene, Oregon – is one of the most esteemed annual meets in the Diamond League series. Kipyegon has won five times at Diamond League meets over the past three seasons, which is, itself, a world record tally.
This becomes less surprising when you consider that Kipyegon is also a three-time Olympic champion and three-time world champion in the 1500m, not to mention the reigning 5000m world champion and former 5000m world record holder. Remarkably, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet snatched the 5000m world record just 90 minutes before Kipyegon performed her 1500m feat at Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic, running 13:58.06 to become the first women to go sub-14 minutes for 5000m on the track.
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But back to Kipyegon. In case you haven’t heard, she is also the world record holder in the mile, with a chart-topping time of 4:07.64 to her name. The imperial cousin to the 1500m, the mile – measuring roughly 1609m – is slightly obscure but by no means insignificant. In fact, although it is not represented at the Olympic Games or World Championships, the mile is, arguably, Kipyegon’s most crucial distance – and if you’ve seen the news recently, you’ll start to understand why.
So let’s elaborate.
A leap of Faith
Without repeating too much of what you’ve already seen, on Thursday 26 June in Paris, just nine days before she ran her latest 1500m world record in the US, Faith Kipyegon played the protagonist in of a one-of-its kind, Nike-sponsored performance known as Breaking4. The goal? For Kipyegon – assisted by 13 pacers, wavelights and bespoke apparel and spikes – to become the first woman in history to run a mile in under four minutes. The outcome? The fastest women’s mile of all time: 4:06.42.
The caveat is that this time cannot qualify as a new world record. Unlike the recent 1500m event at the Prefontaine Classic, Breaking4 was not an open women’s competition, but a carefully curated experiment that involved only one competitor and male pacers, voiding it of world record eligibility. Still, whether you consider Kipyegon’s Breaking4 result a hit or a miss, it’s worth remembering that she shaved over a second off her own mile personal best that night – and it lay the foundations for the 1500m world record that ensued.
At Breaking4, Kipyegon was also brave enough to open herself up to victory, failure, praise and criticism. She was like the courageous schoolchild who volunteers to deliver the presentation in assembly, or the person in the group who does the bungee jump first. Having been seen to do something scary, Kipyegon hopes that other people – especially women and youngsters – will now feel inspired and empowered to take on similar challenges themselves.
‘This was not about a world record – it was about inspiring the next generation,’ said Kipyegon, reflecting on the attempt in a post-Breaking4 press conference. ‘It was about showing people that we can dare to dream. We can still push our boundaries. We are limitless in this world.’
Breaking form with Breaking4
I was fortunate enough to experience the Breaking4 spectacle in person with Nike. Absorbing it all from inside the Stade Charléty, I was blown away by the colossal mile effort on the athletics track that evening – and yet, it wasn’t just the time on the clock that mattered. In my opinion, here are seven things that made the event a different kind of success.
1. The intense hype
There is no getting around the fact that all eyes were on Kipyegon in the days and moments before her mile trial on the track. Having been immersed in all the hype in Paris, where everything from coffee cups, T-shirts and handmade Kenyan bracelets – not to mention the entire Stade Charléty premises – were smothered in Breaking4 branding, I could tell that Nike was completely dining out on the occasion. It was set to be a big deal. History.
It was fascinating to see – but somewhat terrifying on Kipyegon’s behalf. As somebody who always feels a bit nervous before even the smallest amateur race, I couldn’t imagine how Kipyegon must have felt in the build-up to this test. Yes, she is a professional athlete who is familiar with the intensity of world-class competitions – but she is still human.
‘You have pressure all over the world,’ she said, recalling her Breaking4 build-up at the post-event press conference. ‘You have pressure that you are against something special.’
However, she attempted the implausible mile that she had signed up to do. She showed up, astounded and then – despite her diminutive statue and four-something-minute result – released her trademark smile at the end.
2. Kipyegon’s gratitude
The smile wasn’t fleeting. Hours after leaving her Breaking4 arena, Kipyegon was still beaming. She was remarkably positive despite the disappointment and is now hungrier than ever to see that illusive sub-4 materialise – even if she’s not the woman who does it.
‘Because of the people around me giving me hope, saying, “You’ve got this” and “You’re capable of doing it”, I think that I was the happiest person,’ reflected Kipyegon, the morning after the mile. ‘I’m proud of myself. I’m so grateful.’
3. Kipchoge’s grace
One of Kipyegon's greatest champions was – and is – fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge. Her close friend, mentor and training partner, Kipchoge became the first-ever human to run a marathon in under two hours on his second attempt in 2019, having first fallen short at a similar Nike experiment – Breaking2 – in 2016.
‘I was like Eliud,’ said Kipyegon, reflecting on her Breaking4 finish time. ‘Eliud tried. He wasn’t successful in one event. He went for the second try and he got it. Eliud really inspires me. I was trying like him – and I will keep on trying.’
Kipchoge, naturally, got a lot of attention across the Breaking4 period. Having travelled over to Paris for the occasion, he voiced his admiration of Kipyegon to the masses, appearing on the Breaking4 livestream, in front of the media and across social channels – and he pleased running fans just by being there.
But I spotted something interesting after Kipyegon crossed the finish line. As she expelled her final ounce of energy in the form of a tumble to the floor, the already amplified atmosphere became louder and prouder. My heart was like a snare drum, as if I’d just run a flat-out mile of my own. Meanwhile, other animated onlookers chanted the athlete’s praises as her pacers and team members flocked onto the track to surround her. Kipchoge was at the heart of the frame – until he wasn’t. After celebrating his friend and giving the official photographers what they wanted, he drifted to the side, out of shot. As the high energy continued and Kipyegon set off for her lap of honour, draping the Kenyan flag behind her, I saw the Breaking2 athlete observe the scene quietly from the sidelines, with a gentle smile on his face.
This time, it wasn’t Kipchoge’s moment – it was Kipyegon’s. He wanted the spotlight to stay on her.
4. That sports bra
Less about the athlete, now – and more about the Breaking4 apparel.
Although I admittedly hadn’t realised this until I arrived in France, Breaking4 was held during Paris Fashion Week. This wasn’t a deliberate move, but it is fitting, since the lines that once separated ‘running kit’ and ‘fashion’ are dissolving. Traditional sportswear brands including Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Asics held activations in Paris that week, while Nike’s greatest contribution to the renowned fashion show was Kipyegon’s Breaking4 apparel. This outfit was engineered to perform optimally and look good – and Kipyegon was able to catwalk it not on the runway, but on the running track.
Just hours before the mile attempt, I was able to get within touching distance of Kipyegon’s Breaking4 kit.
The 3D-printed FlyWeb sports bra, for starters, was tiny – Kipyegon is only 1.57m tall, mind – and could have easily crunched up into the palm of my hand. Not that I tried to crunch it up, of course – I wouldn’t dare. In my eyes, this piece, made from a TPU material and crafted to Kipyegon’s dimension, was a work of scientific art. It looked dainty but had the strength to be worn and worked at speed.
It also, Nike believes, solves big problems in the sports bra sphere. ‘We are challenging the status quo of sports bras,’ said Janett Nichol, VP of Apparel Innovation at Nike, when revealing Kipyegon’s real-life Breaking4 bra ahead of the titular event. ‘For the women in the room who wear sports bras, we know that we have lots of choice when it comes to sports bras – but every choice comes with a compromise. It fits, but it doesn’t quite breathe, or vice versa.
‘I don’t think that there is a woman alive who wears a sports bra and runs, trains or plays sport and has felt the air on her chest,’ continued Nichol. ‘You immediately have a barrier with a sports bra – which also means that you don’t benefit from the breathable technologies of the garment on top of it. This bra changes the game for that.’
The truth had been spoken. We never feel the air on our chests. But with Kipyegon’s bra, which was the result of years of testing and tweaking, we now have something that is lightweight, breathable, strong but almost see-through and doesn’t retain moisture. Will technology like this be adapted for other athletes and – if we dare to dream – everyday runners in future?
5. The aerodynamic speed suit
This innovation was another Breaking4 head turner.
According to Brett Kirby, Principal of Scientist-Applied Performance Innovation at Nike, who steered the systems and science behind Breaking4 and Breaking2, the priority was to craft something aerodynamic.
‘It’s common to think about aerodynamics in speed skating, cycling or Formula 1, where the object or sporting individual is moving fast,’ said Kirby, while reflecting on the Breaking4 technology with me. ‘We’d done some work at Breaking2 to realise that, even at marathon speed, aerodynamics is really important, so we knew that there was stuff on the table. But nobody had addressed aerodynamics in middle-distance running – so here was a problem that we could solve for Breaking4.’
And so came the ‘Aeronodes’ – a brand-new Nike creation. These Aeronodes are, essentially, small bumps of material that were strategically placed on Kipyegon’s speed suit where the body ‘sticks out’ – the shoulder, collar and hip areas – to reduce drag and disrupt airflow. They also featured on Kipyegon’s accompanying arm and leg sleeves.
An acutely bespoke item, Kirby told me that the ‘whole creation process of the speed suit really accelerated after Faith’s visit’ and they had her 3D body scan to work with.
But what did Kipyegon think?
‘When I put on that suit, I was feeling fast,’ she said, after her mile attempt. ‘It was friendly to the skin and I felt like I had nothing on my body. I was like, “I’m running so free” – the suit looks so amazing. I was asking my team if I could keep on running with that suit for the whole of my season!’
Alas, she did not go on to wear the statement speed suit when she bettered the 1500m mark at the Prefontaine Classic – which arguably proves that she is just as good without it. But will she wear it for another sub-4 attempt in future, perhaps?
6. The teamwork
Elite runners want to outdo their competitors. While they might be friendly off the track, road or trails, they are always looking out for number one on race day.
But at Breaking4, it was different. The only competitors were Kipyegon and the clock – and if Kipyegon won, the prize was a landmark moment in women’s running. And so, with history up for grabs, a team of 13 pacers – two women, 11 men and all elites – came together to put their own goals on pause and help Kipyegon to succeed in this unique quest.
As Kirby told me, these 13 pacers – who were ‘excited by and committed to the Breaking4 pursuit’ – had three key responsibilities. First, they had to follow the LED wavelights along the inside of the track, which were set at sub-4-minute mile pace, to help Kipyegon maintain the desired speed. Secondly, they had to collectively work as a draft by running around Kipyegon in a formation that reduced drag on her body – just like the Aeronodes on her speed suit. Thirdly, performance optimisation aside, they were there to provide moral support.
‘Ultimately, you want to maintain Faith’s momentum,’ said Kirby. ‘She wants to go forward and we want to carry that forward.’ But during practice, as the pacers tested various formations, it became clear that the most important thing for Kipyegon was to not feel isolated on the track.
‘Faith said, “I don’t want to be alone; I want somebody right there” – so we made sure that she had somebody right there,’ continued Kirby. ‘When we chase really big goals, we can feel really alone in that, so it was essential that we had the community with her [Kipyegon]. And those pacers knew that they were going to talk to her during the mile, because they learnt that the more they talk, the more this helps her to relax. All that stuff is really powerful.’
Thanks to the team around her, encompassing pacers, innovators, scientists and more, Kipyegon thought that Breaking4 was ‘perfect’ – and by no means a failure. ‘I think that the team gave everything to make this day so perfect,’ she said, specifically. ‘I think that the team is really working for the next generation of our sport.’
7. The intensifying dream
That’s the thing for Kipyegon, really – inspiring the next generation and other women. An athlete who is still getting better, she is also a devoted mother to a seven-year-old daughter, Alyn, who motivates her to keep working hard, attempting the unfeasible and breaking boundaries.
‘I’ve inspired her [Alyn] to look at dreams and make it in life,’ said Kipyegon, recalling the moment she spoke with her daughter just before she took to the track for Breaking4. ‘She was proud of me.’
After her ‘first trial’ in Paris, Kipyegon has also helped to put the mile – an often overlooked distance – back on the map. Even RW’s Rick Pearson recently embarked on his own epic quest to break five minutes for the mile – ‘Breaking5’ – in tandem with Kipyegon’s own test.
Either way, Kipyegon’s desire to break four minutes for the mile is certainly not going away – especially now that she has a new 1500m world record under her belt. ‘I’ll still dare to try,’ she said, looking ahead to a future attempt. ‘I feel that it is possible. One day, one time – it’s going to be there.’
