Dream Mile

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The Dream Mile may refer to the annual Diamond League race in Oslo at Bislett Stadium, or several historic individual races featuring top middle-distance runners.

Dream Mile (Bislett)[edit]

Bislett Dream Mile
LocationBislett Stadium
Oslo, Norway Norway
Event typeTrack and field
DistanceOne Mile (1,609.344 meters)
OrganizerBislett Games
Course recordsMen: Morocco Hicham El Guerrouj 3:44.90 (1997) Women: Ethiopia Birke Haylom 4:17.13 (2023)

The Dream Mile is an annual mile race run at Bislett Stadium, Oslo as part of the Bislett Games, one of the meetings of the Diamond League athletics competition. This annual event was interrupted in 2004 for the rebuilding of Bislett Stadium, replacing a six-lane track with sharp bends and steep terraces with a conventional eight-lane track and seating. In 1980, the world mile record was set in this race by Steve Ovett, and in 1985 Steve Cram also set a new world mile record.

Numerous National records were set in the Bislett Dream Mile, including current records: Great Britain (Steve Cram), Spain (José Luis González), Qatar (Daham Najim Bashir), Australia (Craig Mottram), New Zealand (John Walker), Germany (Jens-Peter Herold), Somalia (Abdi Bile), Portugal (Rui Silva), Ireland (Ray Flynn), Canada (Kevin Sullivan), Brazil (Hudson de Souza) and Saudi Arabia (Mohammed Shaween).[1] The 2017 race was held as an under-20s competition.[2]

Annual Men's Dream Mile Champions
Year Athlete Country Time
2024 TBD
2023 Mile Not Held (Meet Had 1500m)
2022 Jakob Ingebrigtsen  Norway 3:46.46
2021 Stewart McSweyn  Australia 3:48.37
2020 Meet Not Held (COVID-19 Pandemic)
2019 Marcin Lewandowski  Poland 3:52.34
2018 Elijah Manangoi  Kenya 3:56.95
2017 Jakob Ingebrigtsen  Norway 3:56.29
2016 Asbel Kiprop  Kenya 3:51.48
2015 Asbel Kiprop  Kenya 3:51.45
2014 Ayanleh Souleiman  Djibouti 3:49.49
2013 Ayanleh Souleiman  Djibouti 3:50.53
2012 Asbel Kiprop  Kenya 3:49.22
2011 Asbel Kiprop  Kenya 3:50.86
2010 Asbel Kiprop  Kenya 3:49.56
2009 Deresse Mekonnen  Ethiopia 3:48.95
2008 Andrew Baddeley  Great Britain 3:49.38
2007 Adil Kaouch  Morocco 3:51.14
2006 Alex Kipchirchir  Kenya 3:50.32
2005 Daham Najim Bashir  Qatar 3:47.97
2004 Not Held
2003 Not Held
2002 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 3:50.12
2001 Ali Saïdi-Sief  Algeria 3:48.23
2000 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 3:46.24
1999 Not Held
1998 Not Held (Meet Had 1500m)
1997 Hicham El Guerrouj  Morocco 3:44.90 MR
1996 Noureddine Morceli  Algeria 3:48.15
1995 Not Held (Meet Had 1500m)
1994 Vénuste Niyongabo  Burundi 3:48.94
1993 Noureddine Morceli  Algeria 3:47.78
1992 David Kibet  Kenya 3:52.32
1991 Peter Elliott  Great Britain 3:49.46
1990 Joe Falcon  United States 3:49.31
1989 ???
1988 Steve Cram  Great Britain 3:48.85
1987 Steve Cram  Great Britain 3:50.08
1986 Steve Cram  Great Britain 3:48.31
1985 Steve Cram  Great Britain 3:46.32 (WR*, MR*)
1984 Not Held (Meet Had 1500m)
1983 Steve Scott  United States 3:49.49
1982 Steve Scott  United States 3:47.69 (MR*)
1981 Tom Byers  United States ???
1980 Steve Ovett  Great Britain 3:48.8 (WR*, MR*)
1979 Sebastian Coe  Great Britain 3:49.0 (WR*, MR*)
1978 Wilson Waigwa  Kenya 3:53.2
1977 ???
1976 John Walker  New Zealand 3:55.5+
1975 ???
1974 Knut Kvalheim  Norway 3:56.2

*World Records (WRs) and Meet Records (MRs) denoted by an asterisk were significant performances that were former world and/or meet records in the mile at the time of their clocking. The current meet record (3:44.90, 1997), by Hicham El Guerrouj, is bolded.

Other "Dream Miles"[edit]

The term "Dream Mile" is also used to describe several other major athletics events, notably the 1974 Commonwealth Games 1500 metres race ("metric mile") fought out between Filbert Bayi and John Walker in Christchurch, New Zealand. This was described by Duncan Mackay in The Observer as "...a race to rival the 'Miracle Mile' [taking] middle-distance running into a new era. To many it still remains the greatest 1,500m race ever." In this race, both of the first two runners broke the previous world record.

The current world record in the mile run was also set in a race where two athletes surpassed the previously standing world record—one might suggest it was a new record because the two had challenged each other to the finish. In Rome, 1999, Hicham El Guerrouj ran a time of 3:43.13 and Noah Ngeny finished at 3:43.40. This was the first time in over 40 years that two men had bettered the world record in the mile in the same race although this race was not called the "Dream Mile."

The first event called a "Dream Mile" was a match race between Jim Ryun and Marty Liquori on May 16, 1971. The event took place at the Martin Luther King International Freedom Games at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bob Hersh of Track & Field News wrote, "The build-up was probably the greatest for any single footrace since the historic 'Miracle Mile' at Vancouver, British Columbia in 1954."

Ryun, who was known for his kick, was the favorite. He had also run much faster than Villanova University's Liquori (3:51.1 to 3:57.2). The race went out slow, with both going 440 yards in the middle of the pack - slower than 61-seconds. Ryun took over at halfway (2:03.3). After the next turn, Liquori moved decisively. He passed the world record holder and led him through a lap in 56.7. In the last lap, Liquori would not surrender the lead. At the finish, Liquori prevailed as both clocked 3:54.6.[3]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Dream Mile continues to make history at Bislett - IAAF Diamond League | NEWS | World Athletics".
  2. ^ The Dream Mile, The end of an era? by J. Stuart Weir. RunBlogRun. Retrieved 2019-08-10.
  3. ^ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084891/index.htm Sports Illustrated May 24, 1971