Two miles
The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters (and corresponding bonus payment for participants), as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in some youth competition. The IAAF no longer keeps official world records for this distance; they are called world best instead.
The world record for men is 7:58.61 set by Kenyan Daniel Komen in Hechtel, Belgium in July 1997. The women's record is 8:58.58, set by Ethiopian Meseret Defar in Brussels, Belgium in September 2007.
World Record Progression
Men
| WORLD RECORD/BEST IN THE MEN'S 2 MILE (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, Scotland |
| 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 |
Albert 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, Scotland |
| 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 |
Women
See also
Notes
External links
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