Mile run world record Progression - wikipedia Mile run world record Progression The world record in the mile run is the best mark set by a male or female runner in the middle - distance track and field event. The IAAF is the official body which oversees the records. Hicham El Guerrouj is the current men 's record holder with his time of 3 : 43.13, while Svetlana Masterkova has the women 's record of 4 : 12.56. Since 1976, the mile has been the only non-metric distance recognized by the IAAF for record purposes. Accurate times for the mile run ( 1.609344 km ) were not recorded until after 1850, when the first precisely measured running tracks were built. Foot racing had become popular in England by the 17th century, when footmen would race and their masters would wager on the result. By the 19th century `` pedestrianism '', as it was called, had become extremely popular and the best times recorded in the period were by professionals. Even after professional foot racing died out, it was not until 1915 that the professional record of 4 : 123⁄4 ( set by Walter George in 1886 ) was surpassed by an amateur. Progression of the mile record accelerated in the 1930s as newsreel coverage greatly popularized the sport, making stars out of milers such as Jules Ladoumègue, Jack Lovelock, and Glenn Cunningham. In the 1940s, Swedes Arne Andersson and Gunder Hägg lowered the record to just over four minutes ( 4 : 01.4 ) while racing was curtailed during World War II in the combatant countries. After the war, John Landy of Australia and Britain 's Roger Bannister vied to be the first to break the fabled four - minute mile barrier. Roger Bannister did it first on May 6, 1954, and John Landy followed 46 days later. By the end of the 20th century, the record had been lowered to the time of 3 : 43.13 run by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999. On the women 's side, the first sub-5 : 00 mile was achieved by Britain 's Diane Leather 23 days after Bannister 's first sub-4 : 00 mile. However, the International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF ) did not recognize women 's records for the distance until 1967, when Anne Smith of Britain ran 4 : 37.0. The current women 's world record is 4 : 12.56 by Svetlana Masterkova of Russia, set on August 14, 1996. Contents 1 Men 1.1 Pre-IAAF 1.2 Professionals 1.3 Amateurs 1.4 IAAF era 2 Women 2.1 Pre-IAAF 2.2 Women 's IAAF era 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External links Men Pre-IAAF Professionals Time Athlete Nationality Date Venue 4 : 28 Charles Westhall United Kingdom 26 July 1855 London 4 : 28 Thomas Horspool United Kingdom 28 September 1857 Manchester 4 : 23 Thomas Horspool United Kingdom 12 July 1858 Manchester 4 : 221⁄4 Siah Albison United Kingdom 27 October 1860 Manchester 4 : 213⁄4 William Lang United Kingdom 11 July 1863 Manchester 4 : 201⁄2 Edward Mills United Kingdom 23 April 1864 Manchester 4 : 20 Edward Mills United Kingdom 25 June 1864 Manchester 4 : 171⁄4 William Lang United Kingdom 19 August 1865 Manchester 4 : 171⁄4 William Richards United Kingdom 19 August 1865 Manchester 4 : 16 1 / 5 William Cummings United Kingdom 14 May 1881 Preston 4 : 123⁄4 Walter George United Kingdom 23 August 1886 London Amateurs Time Athlete Nationality Date Venue 4 : 55 J. Heaviside United Kingdom 1 April 1861 Dublin 4 : 49 J. Heaviside United Kingdom 27 May 1861 Dublin 4 : 46 Matthew Greene United Kingdom 27 May 1861 Dublin 4 : 33 George Farran United Kingdom 23 May 1862 Dublin 4 : 29 3 / 5 Walter Chinnery United Kingdom 10 March 1868 Cambridge 4 : 28 4 / 5 Walter Gibbs United Kingdom 3 April 1868 London 4 : 28 3 / 5 Charles Gunton United Kingdom 31 March 1873 London 4 : 26 0 / 5 Walter Slade United Kingdom 30 May 1874 London 4 : 241⁄2 Walter Slade United Kingdom 1 June 1875 London 4 : 23 1 / 5 Walter George United Kingdom 16 August 1880 London 4 : 19 2 / 5 Walter George United Kingdom 3 June 1882 London 4 : 18 2 / 5 Walter George United Kingdom 21 June 1884 Birmingham 4 : 17 4 / 5 Thomas Conneff United Kingdom 26 August 1893 Cambridge 4 : 17 0 / 5 Fred Bacon United Kingdom 6 July 1895 London 4 : 15 3 / 5 Thomas Conneff United Kingdom 28 August 1895 New York City 4 : 15 2 / 5 John Paul Jones United States 27 May 1911 Cambridge As there was no recognized official sanctioning body until 1912, there are several versions of the mile progression before that year. One version starts with Richard Webster ( GBR ) who ran 4 : 36.5 in 1865, surpassed by Chinnery in 1868. Another variation of the amateur record progression pre-1862 is as follows : Time Athlete Nationality Date Venue 4 : 52 Cadet Marshall United Kingdom 2 September 1852 Addiscome 4 : 45 Thomas Finch United Kingdom 3 November 1858 Oxford 4 : 45 St. Vincent Hammick United Kingdom 15 November 1858 Oxford 4 : 40 Gerald Surman United Kingdom 24 November 1859 Oxford 4 : 33 George Farran United Kingdom 23 May 1862 Dublin IAAF era The first world record in the mile for men ( athletics ) was recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1913. To June 21, 2009, the IAAF has ratified 32 world records in the event. Time Auto Athlete Nationality Date Venue 4 : 14.4 John Paul Jones United States 31 May 1913 Allston, Mass. 4 : 12.6 Norman Taber United States 16 July 1915 Allston, Mass. 4 : 10.4 Paavo Nurmi Finland 23 August 1923 Stockholm 4 : 09.2 Jules Ladoumègue France 4 October 1931 Paris 4 : 07.6 Jack Lovelock New Zealand 15 July 1933 Princeton, N.J. 4 : 06.8 Glenn Cunningham United States 16 June 1934 Princeton, N.J. 4 : 06.4 Sydney Wooderson United Kingdom 28 August 1937 Motspur Park 4 : 06.2 Gunder Hägg Sweden 1 July 1942 Gothenburg 4 : 06.2 Arne Andersson Sweden 10 July 1942 Stockholm 4 : 04.6 Gunder Hägg Sweden 4 September 1942 Stockholm 4 : 02.6 Arne Andersson Sweden 1 July 1943 Gothenburg 4 : 01.6 Arne Andersson Sweden 18 July 1944 Malmö 4 : 01.4 Gunder Hägg Sweden 17 July 1945 Malmö 3 : 59.4 Roger Bannister United Kingdom 6 May 1954 Oxford 3 : 58.0 John Landy Australia 21 June 1954 Turku 3 : 57.2 Derek Ibbotson United Kingdom 19 July 1957 London 3 : 54.5 Herb Elliott Australia 6 August 1958 Dublin 3 : 54.4 Peter Snell New Zealand 27 January 1962 Wanganui 3 : 54.1 3 : 54.04 Peter Snell New Zealand 17 November 1964 Auckland 3 : 53.6 Michel Jazy France 9 June 1965 Rennes 3 : 51.3 Jim Ryun United States 17 July 1966 Berkeley, Cal. 3 : 51.1 Jim Ryun United States 23 June 1967 Bakersfield, Cal. 3 : 51.0 Filbert Bayi Tanzania 17 May 1975 Kingston 3 : 49.4 John Walker New Zealand 12 August 1975 Gothenburg 3 : 49.0 3 : 48.95 Sebastian Coe United Kingdom 17 July 1979 Oslo 3 : 48.8 Steve Ovett United Kingdom 1 July 1980 Oslo 3 : 48.53 Sebastian Coe United Kingdom 19 August 1981 Zürich 3 : 48.40 Steve Ovett United Kingdom 26 August 1981 Koblenz 3 : 47.33 Sebastian Coe United Kingdom 28 August 1981 Brussels 3 : 46.32 Steve Cram United Kingdom 27 July 1985 Oslo 3 : 44.39 Noureddine Morceli Algeria 5 September 1993 Rieti 3 : 43.13 Hicham El Guerrouj Morocco 7 July 1999 Rome Records for the mile were rounded up to the nearest tenth of a second commencing January 1, 1957. Previously, records were rounded up to the nearest fifth of a second. Those rounded - up marks were : Cunningham 's 4 : 06.8 ( timed at 4 : 06.7 ) ; Hägg 's 4 : 06.2 ( 4 : 06.1 ) ; Hägg 's 4 : 01.4 ( 4 : 01.3 ) ; Landy 's 3 : 58.0 ( 3 : 57.9 ). Landy 's mark was not retroactively adjusted when the new rule came into effect. Auto times to the hundredth of a second were accepted by the IAAF for events up to and including 10,000 m beginning in 1981. Women Pre-IAAF Time Athlete Nationality Date Venue 6 : 13.2 Elizabeth Atkinson United Kingdom 24 June 1921 Manchester 5 : 27.5 Ruth Christmas United Kingdom 20 August 1932 London 5 : 24.0 Gladys Lunn United Kingdom 1 June 1936 Brentwood 5 : 23.0 Gladys Lunn United Kingdom 18 July 1936 London 5 : 20.8 Gladys Lunn United Kingdom 8 May 1937 Dudley 5 : 17.0 Gladys Lunn United Kingdom 7 August 1937 London 5 : 15.3 Evelyn Forster United Kingdom 22 July 1939 London 5 : 11.0 Anne Oliver United Kingdom 14 June 1952 London 5 : 09.8 Enid Harding United Kingdom 4 June 1953 London 5 : 08.0 Anne Oliver United Kingdom 12 September 1953 Consett 5 : 02.6 Diane Leather United Kingdom 30 September 1953 London 5 : 00.3 Edith Treybal Romania 1 November 1953 Timisoara 5 : 00.2 Diane Leather United Kingdom 26 May 1954 Birmingham 4 : 59.6 Diane Leather United Kingdom 29 May 1954 Birmingham 4 : 50.8 Diane Leather United Kingdom 24 May 1955 London 4 : 45.0 Diane Leather United Kingdom 21 September 1955 London 4 : 41.4 Marise Chamberlain New Zealand 8 December 1962 Perth 4 : 39.2 Anne Smith United Kingdom 13 May 1967 London Women 's IAAF era The first world record in the mile for women ( athletics ) was recognized by the International Amateur Athletics Federation, now known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, in 1967. To June 21, 2009, the IAAF has ratified 13 world records in the event. Time Auto Athlete Nationality Date Venue 4 : 37.0 Anne Smith United Kingdom 3 June 1967 London 4 : 36.8 Maria Gommers Netherlands 14 June 1969 Leicester 4 : 35.3 Ellen Tittel West Germany 20 August 1971 Sittard 4 : 29.5 Paola Pigni Italy 8 August 1973 Viareggio 4 : 23.8 Natalia Mărășescu Romania 21 May 1977 Bucharest 4 : 22.1 4 : 22.09 Natalia Mărășescu Romania 27 January 1979 Auckland 4 : 21.7 4 : 21.68 Mary Decker United States 26 January 1980 Auckland 4 : 20.89 Lyudmila Veselkova Soviet Union 12 September 1981 Bologna 4 : 18.08 Mary Decker - Tabb United States 9 July 1982 Paris 4 : 17.44 Maricica Puică Romania 9 September 1982 Rieti 4 : 16.71 Mary Decker - Slaney United States 21 August 1985 Zürich 4 : 15.61 Paula Ivan Romania 10 July 1989 Nice 4 : 12.56 Svetlana Masterkova Russia 14 August 1996 Zürich The IAAF recognized times to the hundredth of a second starting in 1981. Decker ran 4 : 17.55 in Houston on 16 February 1980, and Natalya Artyomova ( Soviet Union ) ran 4 : 15.8 in Leningrad on 6 August 1984, but neither time was ratified by the IAAF. See also World record progression 1500 metres References Jump up ^ `` 100 Metres - men - senior - outdoor - 2013 ''. iaaf.org. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 23. Jump up ^ `` International Association of Athletics Federations ''. IAAF. Retrieved 2013 - 10 - 23. Jump up ^ `` World Mile Record Progression ''. Berkshire Sports. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 04. Jump up ^ `` Progression of world record times for males ''. sta.colostate.edu. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 15. ^ Jump up to : `` 12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics : IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009 '' ( PDF ). Monte Carlo : IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 549 -- 50. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2009. Jump up ^ Hymans, Richard ; Matrahazi, Imre. `` IAAF World Records Progression '' ( pdf ) ( 2015 ed. ). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved November 6, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` 12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics : IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009 '' ( PDF ). Monte Carlo : IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 642. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2009. Further reading Bascomb, Neil ( 2004 ). The Perfect Mile. Willow. ISBN 978 - 0 - 0071737 - 3 - 0. Bryant, John ( 2004 ). 3 : 59.4 The Quest To Break The Four Minute Mile. Hutchinson. ISBN 978 - 0 - 0918003 - 3 - 8. Nelson, Cordner ; Quercetani, Roberto ( 1985 ). The Milers. Tafnews Press. ISBN 0 - 911521 - 15 - 1. Phillips, Bob ( 2004 ). 3 : 59.4 The Quest For The Four - Minute Mile. Parrs Wood Press. ISBN 978 - 1 - 9031584 - 9 - 4. External links Runner 's World data Running Times Magazine data Frankfurt University ( in German ) ( Internet Archive ) Women 's progression Another women 's mile progression Frankfurt University ( Women 's progression ) ( in German ) ( Internet Archive ) Clips of Banister 's 4 minute mile Video of current Men 's world record by Hicham El Guerrouj Athletics record progressions World 60 metres men women 100 metres men women 200 metres men women 400 metres men women 800 metres 1000 metres 1500 metres 2000 metres Mile run 3000 metres men women 5000 metres 10,000 metres 10K Half marathon Marathon Women 's 80 metres hurdles 110 / 100 metres hurdles men women 400 metres hurdles men women 3000 metres steeplechase High jump men outdoor men indoor women Long jump Triple jump Pole vault men men indoor women women indoor Shot put men women Discus men women Hammer men women Javelin men women Decathlon Heptathlon men women Pentathlon 10 km walk men women 20 km walk men women 50 km walk men women 4 × 100 metres men women 4 × 200 metres men 4 × 400 metres men women European 100 metres men 200 metres men 400 metres men 800 metres men 1500 metres men 5000 metres men List of world records in athletics Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mile_run_world_record_progression&oldid=840262870 '' Categories : Athletics ( track and field ) record progressions World records in athletics Mile races Hidden categories : Articles with German - language external links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Italiano Русский Slovenščina Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 8 May 2018, at 19 : 26. 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Question: whats the world record for running a mile
Answer: 3:43.13