Faith Kipyeon has run the fastest ever women’s mile.
In a one-off time trial at Stade Charléty in Paris the Kenyan ran 4:06.42, though she missed becoming the first woman to ever run a mile in under four minutes.
Already the world’s best middle-distance runner, the back-to-back-to-back Olympic 1500m champion, and officially the world record holder over the mile having run 4:07.64, Kipyegon needed to make an improvement of almost two-seconds per lap on her own record to break the historic four minute barrier in what Nike described as a ‘moonshot’ attempt.
Run in the same stadium where Kipyegon set her world record in the 1500m, with thousands of spectators and many more watching online, an elite pacing team led her around four laps of the track and included two women – Olympic bronze medallist Georgia Hunter Bell and fellow Brit Jemma Reekie – and nine men.
The attempt was close to sub-four pace through halfway, but Kipyegon couldn’t quite hold on to that time, though she still managed to lower her own world record by more than one second.
The “Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs The Four Minute Mile” project had been in development since early 2025 and it utilised Nike’s top research and engineers to optimise everything about the attempt, from the speed suit and pacer aerodynamics, to making bespoke running spikes just for Kipyegon.
Breaking4 followed independent research looking at the possibility of a women’s sub-four mile. That study applied aerodynamic theory to Kipyegon’s mile world record and they concluded that had she run with optimum pacer formations she could have broken four minutes. But the question was: could it actually be done?
Immediately after the race, Kipyegon smiled as she reflected on the run: “I feel good. I’ve tried. That is why I was coming here. It’s only a matter of time [that a woman runs a sub-four minute mile]. I know one day, one time, someone will run under four. I will not lose hope; I will still go for it. I hope I will get it one day.”
This was the fastest mile ever run by a woman, but the time will not be ratified as a world record because it used male pacers, and so Kipyegon’s 4:07.64 remains the official world record, but her run will be remembered as a courageous attempt and another step towards the first women’s sub-four minute mile.
Ahead of the run, Kipyegon explained why she wanted to lead this historic attempt.
“I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles. I thought, What else? Why not dream outside the box?” said Kipyegon. “And I told myself, ‘If you believe in yourself, and your team believes in you, you can do it.’”
Kipyegon is the mother of a young daughter, and the message she hopes to send around the world is that no matter the goal, courage comes from the attempt itself.
“I want this attempt to say to women, ‘You can dream and make your dreams valid,’” said Kipyegon. “This is the way to go as women, to push boundaries and dream big.”
You can watch more of Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs The Four-Minute Mile on Amazon Prime.
READ MORE
Image from Nike
