Uncommon middle distance race
The 2 mile (10,560 feet or 3,218.688 metres ) is a historic running distance. Like the mile run , it is still contested at some invitational meets due its historical chronology in the United States and United Kingdom . It has been largely superseded by the 3000 m (approximately 1.864 miles) and 5000 m , and by the 3200 m in NFHS American high school competitions. The IAAF no longer keeps official world records for this distance; they are called world best instead.
The world best for men is 7:58.61 set by Kenyan Daniel Komen in Hechtel, Belgium on 19 July 1997. The women's record is 8:58.58, set by Ethiopian Meseret Defar in Brussels, Belgium on 14 September 2007. Komen is the only person to run the distance in under 8 minutes, and thus run two miles at a four-minute mile pace.
All-time top 25
i = indoor performance
mx = mixed race
Men
Correct as of August 2021.[1]
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 8:07.46:
Women
Correct as of August 2021.[5]
Notes
Below is a list of other times equal or superior to 9:13.27:
World Record Progression
Men
Outdoors
TIME
ATHLETE
DATE
PLACE
9:17.0
Alfred Shrubb (GBR )
1903-09-12
London, United Kingdom
9:08.4
Alfred Shrubb (GBR )
1904-06-11
Glasgow , United Kingdom
9:08.4
Edvin Wide (SWE )
1925-06-23
Kramfors , Sweden
9:01.4
Edvin Wide (SWE )
1926-09-12
Berlin, Germany
8:59.6
Paavo Nurmi (FIN )
1931-06-24
Helsinki , Finland
8:58.4
Don Lash (USA )
1936-06-13
Princeton , USA
8:57.4
Gunnar Höckert (FIN )
1936-09-24
Stockholm , Sweden
8:56.0
Miklós Szabó (HUN )
1937-09-30
Budapest , Hungary
8:53.2
Taisto Mäki (FIN )
1939-06-07
Helsinki , Finland
8:47.8
Gunder Hägg (SWE )
1942-06-03
Stockholm , Sweden
8:46.4
Gunder Hägg (SWE )
1944-06-25
Östersund , Sweden
8:42.8
Gunder Hägg (SWE )
1944-08-04
Stockholm , Sweden
8:40.4
Gaston Reiff (BEL )
1952-08-26
Paris, France
8:33.4
Sándor Iharos (HUN )
1955-05-30
London, United Kingdom
8:32.0
Albie Thomas (AUS )
1958-08-07
Dublin , Ireland
8:30.0
Murray Halberg (NZL )
1961-06-07
Jyväskylä , Finland
8:29.8
Jim Beatty (USA )
1962-06-08
Los Angeles, USA
8:29.6
Michel Jazy (FRA )
1963-06-06
Paris, France
8:26.4
Bob Schul (USA )
1964-08-29
Los Angeles, USA
8:22.6
Michel Jazy (FRA )
1965-06-23
Melun , France
8:19.8
Ron Clarke (AUS )
1967-07-27
Västerås , Sweden
8:19.6
Ron Clarke (AUS )
1968-08-24
London, United Kingdom
8:17.8
Emiel Puttemans (BEL )
1971-08-21
Edinburgh , United Kingdom
8:14.0
Lasse Virén (FIN )
1972-08-14
Stockholm , Sweden
8:13.8
Brendan Foster (GBR )
1973-08-27
London, United Kingdom
8:13.51
Steve Ovett (GBR )
1978-09-15
London, United Kingdom
8:13.45
Saïd Aouita (MAR )
1987-05-28
Turin , Italy
8:12.17
Khalid Skah (MAR )
1993-06-30
Hechtel , Belgium
8:09.01
Moses Kiptanui (KEN )
1994-06-30
Hechtel , Belgium
8:07.46
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH )
1995-05-27
Kerkrade , Netherlands
8:03.54
Daniel Komen (KEN )
1996-07-14
Lappeenranta , Finland
8:01.10
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH )
1997-05-31
Hengelo , Netherlands
7:58.61
Daniel Komen (KEN )
1997-07-19
Hechtel , Belgium
Indoors
Women
Outdoors
Indoors
High school boys progression
Note: this list only covers boys because the history of 2 mile running largely occurred before Title IX , before high school girls were allowed to compete, which occurred about the same time as conversion to metric distances.[17]
TIME
ATHLETE
SCHOOL
CITY
DATE
PLACE
(8:40.0i)
Gerry Lindgren
Rogers High School
Spokane, Washington
February 15, 1964
Cow Palace , Daly City, California [18]
8:57.8
Mike Ryan
Wilcox High School
Santa Clara, California
1965
8:48.3
Rick Riley
Ferris High School
Spokane, Washington
May 28, 1966
Washington State Championships[19]
8:41.5
Steve Prefontaine
Marshfield High School
Coos Bay, Oregon
April 25, 1969
Corvallis Invitational, Corvallis, Oregon[19]
8:40.9
Craig Virgin
Lebanon High School
Lebanon, Illinois
June 9, 1973
International Prep Invitational, Prospect, Illinois [19]
8:36.3
Jeff Nelson
Burbank High School
Burbank, California
May 6, 1979
Pepsi Invitational, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
8:34.23
German Fernandez
Riverbank High School
Riverbank, California
June 20, 2008
Nike Outdoor Nationals, Greensboro, North Carolina video
8:29.46
Lukas Verzbicas
Carl Sandburg High School
Orland Hills, Illinois
June 4, 2011
Prefontaine Classic , Eugene, Oregon video