Breaking4

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Cover for the event

Breaking4 was an attempt by Kenyan middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon to become the first woman to break the four-minute barrier for the mile. Hosted by Nike, the event took place on 26 June 2025 at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France.[1]

Kipyegon fell 6.91 seconds short of the four-minute barrier with a time of 4:06.91, still faster than her official world record by 0.73 seconds.

Nike later subtracted the reaction time, adjusting her official time to 4:06.42.[2][3]

Background

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In 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man to break four minutes in the mile, running 3:59.4.[4][5] That same year, Diane Leather became the first woman to break five minutes with 4:59.6.[6] As of June 2025, according to World Athletics statistics, roughly 2,000 men have broken the four-minute barrier.[7]

No woman has yet broken four minutes. The women's world record is 4:07.64, set by Kipyegon on 21 July 2023.[8] An earlier women's world record, 4:12.56 set by Svetlana Masterkova of Russia in 1996, stood for almost 23 years, with Masterkova being the first woman to break 4:15 at the distance.

Kipyegon also holds the world record over 1500 metres, with a time of 3:49.04 set in 2024, at the Stade Sébastien Charléty. The time equates to roughly a 4:06 mile pace.[9] Kipyegon's run has led some to speculate that the first women's sub-four minute mile may come within the 21st century.[10]

In January 2025, at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, Kipyegon did VO2 max testing along with other baseline tests in preparation for the attempt.[11] In February 2025, a scientific study was published in the Royal Society Open Science, stating that Kipyegon could run a mile in approximately 3:59.37 under very specific conditions, achieved through ideal pacesetters and weather conditions.[12][13]

In April 2025, it was announced that Kipyegon would attempt to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile at a meeting in Paris on 26 June 2025.[14]

Setup and results

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Stade Sébastien Charléty

The event was run in a similar manner to Nike's previous Breaking2 project for the marathon and the Ineos 1:59 challenge.[1] It was not record eligible because the custom pair of Victory Elite FK spikes Kipyegon wore were not submitted for approval by World Athletics prior to the event.[15][16]

In addition to the spikes, Kipyegon wore a specially designed speed suit and sports bra.[14][17]

To break the barrier, she would have to improve on her 4:07.64 personal best by at least 7.65 seconds.[6] Kipyegon fell 6.91 seconds short of the four-minute barrier with an unadjusted time of 4:06.91, which is still faster than her official world record by 0.73 seconds.[2][3]

Pacers

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Breaking4 utilized a dozen male and female pacemakers:[18]

Name Notes
Niels Laros 6th in 2024 Olympic 1500 m final
Grant Fisher World record holder in short track 3000 m and 5000 m, 2-time Olympic bronze medalist
Craig Engels 3:51.60 mile personal best
Stewart McSweyn 7th in 2020 Olympic 1500 m final
Jemma Reekie 2024 800 m World Indoor silver medalist
Georgia Hunter Bell 2024 1500 m Olympic bronze medalist
Halima Nakaayi 2019 800 m world champion
Cooper Teare 3:50.17 mile personal best
Elliot Giles World record holder in road mile
Wyclife Kinyamal 1:42.08 800 m personal best
Stefan Nillessen Dutch 1500 m record holder
Cathal Doyle 3:52.06 mile personal best

Criticisms and challenges

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On 26 April 2025, Kipyegon ran 2:29.21 for 1000 metres at the Xiamen Diamond League, a time 0.06 seconds off her personal best of 2:29.15 and 0.23 seconds off Svetlana Masterkova's world record of 2:28.98. This time equates to a 4:00.08 mile pace. Robert Johnson of LetsRun.com considered the attempt to be "ludicrous", since Kipyegon would be required to hold a slightly faster pace for approximately 609 metres longer.[19][20]

A scientific paper published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in April 2025 concluded that “there is no female athlete presently displaying the physiological characteristics required to run a sub-four minute mile”.[11][21]

Streaming

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The event was streamed live on Prime Video and Nike's YouTube channel, beginning at 7:15 PM local time. The first episode of a docuseries covering the event premiered on 20 June.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b DeGood, Willem (2025-06-21). "Breaking4 is revolutionary for women in sport". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  2. ^ a b "Faith Kipyegon Runs a 4:06.42 Mile in Her Attempt to Break 4 Minutes". Runner's World. 2025-06-26. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  3. ^ a b "What Was Up With the Timing at Faith Kipyegon's Sub-4 Mile Attempt?". Runner's World. 2025-06-28. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  4. ^ "'Breaking 4': How the 1st female runner could soon break the 4-minute-mile barrier | CU Boulder Today | University of Colorado Boulder". www.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  5. ^ "70 years since Bannister's 3:59.4 – "I knew I had done it before I even heard the time"". World Athletics. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  6. ^ a b "It's a barrier women have never broken. Can Faith Kipyegon make mile history?". NBC News. 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  7. ^ "One Mile - men - senior - all". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Monaco Diamond League 2023: Live updates as Faith Kipyegon demolishes mile world record as Karsten Warholm scorches to 400m hurdles victory".
  9. ^ a b "Faith Kipyegon Aims to Become the First Woman to Run a Sub-4-Minute Mile—Here's How to Watch". Runner's World. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  10. ^ "Faith Kipyegon obliterates women's mile world record by almost five seconds". Canadian Running. 21 July 2023.
  11. ^ a b Tharme, Liam (2025-06-25). "What it would take for Faith Kipyegon to become the first female sub four-minute miler". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-25.
  12. ^ da Silva, Edson Soares; Hoogkamer, Wouter; Kipp, Shalaya; Kram, Rodger (2025-02-26). "Could a female athlete run a 4-minute mile with improved aerodynamic drafting?". Royal Society Open Science. 12 (2): 241564. doi:10.1098/rsos.241564. PMC 11858751. PMID 40012757.
  13. ^ "A New Study Suggests Faith Kipyegon Could Run a Sub-4 Minute-Mile—Here's How". Runner's World. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  14. ^ a b Ingle, Sean (23 April 2025). "Faith Kipyegon's audacious bid to be first woman to run sub four-minute mile". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  15. ^ "'Strong' Faith Kipyegon reveals: How I plan to run a historic sub-four-minute mile". Olympics.com. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Inside Nike's Prototype Gear Built To Break The 4-Minute Mile". marathonhandbook.com. 2025-06-12. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  17. ^ "Faith Kipyegon Aims to Become the First Woman to Run a Sub-4-Minute Mile—Here's How to Watch". Runner's World. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  18. ^ Dickinson, Marley (2025-06-25). "Meet the pace team for Faith Kipyegon's Breaking4 mile attempt". Canadian Running Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  19. ^ LetsRun.com (2025-04-26). "Sorry track fans, Faith Kipyegon isn't breaking 4:00 in the mile - Can we live in the real world and not la-la land?". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  20. ^ LetsRun.com (2025-04-26). "Xiamen Diamond League Results - 2025 Xiamen Diamond League". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  21. ^ Osborne, Rebekah J.; Kirby, Brett S.; Black, Matthew I.; Vanhatalo, Anni; Jones, Andrew M. (2025-01-28). "Seven (.65) Seconds Away: The Possibility and Physiology of a Women's Sub-4 Minute Mile". Journal of Applied Physiology. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00074.2025.