Two miles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids AthleticsTwo miles |
|
|---|---|
| World records | |
| Men |  Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) 7:54.10 (2023) |
| Women |  Meseret Defar (ETH) 8:58.58 (2007) |
| Short track world records | |
| Men |  Josh Kerr (GBR) 8:00.67 (2024) |
| Women | Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 9:00.48 (2014) |
The 2 mile run is a historic running race. It covers a distance of 10,560 feet or about 3,218 metres. This race is still held at some special events, especially in the United States and United Kingdom, because of its long history.
However, other distances like the 3000 m (which is about 1.864 miles) and the 5000 m are more common now. In American high school competitions, the 3200 m race is often run instead. This is just a little bit shorter than 2 miles.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) no longer keeps official world records for the 2-mile race. Instead, they call the best times "world bests."
The fastest time ever for men is 7 minutes and 54.10 seconds. This was set by Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway on June 9, 2023, in Paris. For women, the fastest time is 8 minutes and 58.58 seconds. Meseret Defar from Ethiopia set this record in Brussels, Belgium, on September 14, 2007. Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Daniel Komen are the only two people who have run the 2-mile race in under 8 minutes. This means they ran each mile at a super-fast four-minute mile pace!
Contents
Top 25 Fastest 2-Mile Runners Ever
This section shows the fastest times recorded for the 2-mile race.
Men's Outdoor Records
These are the best times for men running outdoors.
- Correct as of June 2023.
| Rank | Result | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7:54.10 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen |  Norway |
9 June 2023 | Paris |
| 2 | 7:58.61 | Daniel Komen |  Kenya |
19 July 1997 | Hechtel |
| 3 | 8:01.08 | Haile Gebrselassie |  Ethiopia |
31 May 1997 | Hengelo |
| 4 | 8:03.50 | Craig Mottram |  Australia |
10 June 2007 | Eugene |
| 5 | 8:04.83 | Tariku Bekele | Ethiopia |
10 June 2007 | Eugene |
| 6 | 8:07.07 | Matt Tegenkamp |  United States |
10 June 2007 | Eugene |
| 7 | 8:07.54 | Joshua Cheptegei |  Uganda |
30 June 2019 | Stanford |
| 8 | 8:07.59 | Paul Chelimo | United States |
30 June 2019 | Stanford |
| 9 | 8:07.68 | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya |
4 June 2005 | Eugene |
| 10 | 8:07.75 | Mo Farah |  Great Britain |
24 August 2014 | Birmingham |
Women's Outdoor Records
These are the best times for women running outdoors.
- Correct as of May 2022.
| Rank | Result | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:58.58 | Meseret Defar | Ethiopia |
14 September 2007 | Brussels |
| 2 | 8:59.08 | Francine Niyonsaba |  Burundi |
27 May 2022 | Eugene |
| 3 | 9:06.74 | Letesenbet Gidey | Ethiopia |
20 August 2021 | Eugene |
| 4 | 9:11.49 | Mercy Cherono | Kenya |
24 August 2014 | Birmingham |
| 5 | 9:11.97 Mx | Regina Jacobs | United States |
12 August 1999 | Los Gatos |
| 6 | 9:12.59 | Viola Kibiwott | Kenya |
24 August 2014 | Birmingham |
| 7 | 9:12.90 | Irene Jelagat | Kenya |
24 August 2014 | Birmingham |
| 8 | 9:13.85 | Mimi Belete |  Bahrain |
31 May 2014 | Eugene |
| 9 | 9:14.09 | Priscah Cherono | Kenya |
14 September 2007 | Brussels |
| 10 | 9:14.55 | Hellen Obiri | Kenya |
20 August 2021 | Eugene |
Men's Indoor Records
These are the fastest times for men running indoors.
- Correct as of February 2024.
| Rank | Result | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8:00.67 | Josh Kerr | Great Britain |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 2 | 8:03.40 | Mo Farah | Great Britain |
21 February 2015 | Birmingham |
| 3 | 8:03.62 | Grant Fisher | United States |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 4 | 8:04.35 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia |
16 February 2008 | Birmingham |
| 5 | 8:04.69 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia |
21 February 2003 | Birmingham |
| 6 | 8:05.70 | Cole Hocker | United States |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 7 | 8:05.73 | Geordie Beamish |  New Zealand |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 8 | 8:06.48 | Paul Koech | Kenya |
16 February 2008 | Birmingham |
| 9 | 8:06.61 | Hicham El Guerrouj |  Morocco |
23 February 2003 | Liévin |
| 10 | 8:07.39 | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya |
18 February 2012 | Birmingham |
Women's Indoor Records
These are the fastest times for women running indoors.
- Correct as of February 2024.
| Rank | Result | Athlete | Nationality | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:00.48 | Genzebe Dibaba | Ethiopia |
15 February 2014 | Birmingham |
| 2 | 9:04.84 | Laura Muir | United Kingdom |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 3 | 9:06.26 | Meseret Defar | Ethiopia |
26 February 2009 | Prague |
| 4 | 9:07.12 | Melknat Wudu | Ethiopia |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 5 | 9:09.70 | Alicia Monson | United States |
11 February 2024 | New York City |
| 6 | 9:10.28 | Elinor Purrier | United States |
13 February 2021 | New York City |
| 7 | 9:12.23 | Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia |
20 February 2010 | Birmingham |
| 8 | 9:12.35 | Vivian Cheruiyot | Kenya |
20 February 2010 | Birmingham |
| 9 | 9:12.68 | Sentayehu Ejigu | Ethiopia |
20 February 2010 | Birmingham |
| 10 | 9:13.94 | Kim Smith | New Zealand |
26 January 2008 | Boston |
How 2-Mile Records Have Changed Over Time
This section shows how the fastest times for the 2-mile race have improved over the years.
Men's Outdoor Progression
Here's how the men's outdoor world best has changed.
| 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 |
| 7:54.10 | Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR) |
2023-06-09 | Paris, France |
Men's Indoor Progression
Here's how the men's indoor world best has changed.
| TIME | ATHLETE | DATE | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:09.66 | Hailu Mekonnen (ETH) |
2000-02-20 | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| 8:04.69 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) |
2003-02-21 | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| 8:04.35 | Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) |
2008-02-16 | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| 8:03.40 | Mo Farah (GBR) |
2015-02-21 | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
| 8:00.67 | Josh Kerr (GBR) |
2024-02-11 | New York City, United States |
Women's Outdoor Progression
Here's how the women's outdoor world best has changed.
| TIME | ATHLETE | DATE | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:07.0 | Doris Brown (USA) |
1971-07-10 | Bakersfield, USA |
| 9:55.9 | Francie Larrieu (USA) |
1972-06-04 | Redwood City, USA |
| 9:19.56 |  Sonia O'Sullivan (IRL) |
1998-06-27 | Cork, Ireland |
| 9:10.47 | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
2007-05-20 | Carson, USA |
| 8:58.58 | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
2007-09-14 | Brussels, Belgium |
Women's Indoor Progression
Here's how the women's indoor world best has changed.
| TIME | ATHLETE | DATE | PLACE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:28.15 | Lynn Jennings (USA) |
1986-02-20 | New York City, USA |
| 9:23.38 | Regina Jacobs (USA) |
2002-01-27 | Boston, USA |
| 9:10.50 | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
2008-01-26 | Boston, USA |
| 9:06.26 | Meseret Defar (ETH) |
2009-02-26 | Prague, Czech Republic |
| 9:00.48 | Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) |
2014-02-15 | Birmingham, United Kingdom |
See also
