World Record Holder Covered The Distance A Bit Faster With Innovative Apparel And Pacers, But Couldn't Sustain The Pace To Approach 4-Minute Barrier

By Oliver Hinson of DyeStat

WATCH REPLAY

The wheels gradually fell off for Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon as she attempted to become the first woman to run under four minutes in the mile on Thursday evening in Paris.

Kipyegon, the current world record holder in the event with a personal best of 4:07.64, ran 4:06.42 in a controlled time trial at the Stade Charlety, but that mark will not count as a new world record for multiple reasons, including unapproved shoe technology and the presence of male pacers. 

She came through 400 meters in 60.20 seconds, 800 in 2:00.75, and 1,200 in 3:01.84. She drastically slowed in the last 200 meters, running about 34 seconds. Still, she was satisfied with her performance.

“I have proven that it’s possible,” Kipyegon said after the attempt. “It’s only a matter of time, but I think it will come.”

Despite not meeting her goal, Kipyegon’s performance furthers the argument that she is the best female middle distance runner of all time. Her mark is nearly six seconds faster than any other performance by a woman — Sifan Hassan is second-fastest with a personal best of 4:12.33. 

Kipyegon also holds the world record in the 1,500 meters at 3:49.04, which is over a second faster than No. 2 all time (3:50.07 by Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba). She is a three-time Olympic champion and four-time World champion. 

Her status made her the ideal candidate for Nike’s Breaking4 project, a successor to the Breaking2 project from the late 2010s, in which Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run under two hours in the marathon. 

Like it did for Breaking2, Nike pulled out all the stops for Breaking4. Most of their efforts were aimed at improving aerodynamic efficiency — they designed a custom FlySuit with three-dimensional nodes that allowed air to flow around her, and they assembled a field of nearly a dozen pacers to break the wind, including elite Americans like Cooper Teare, Craig Engels and Grant Fisher.

They also made custom spikes for the attempt, which were fitted to Kipyegon’s feet and featured an improved carbon plate.

Altogether, those innovations only took a little over a second off of her best mark, but her uneven pacing suggests there is room to grow. If she had gone out at 4:05 pace, she may have been able to shave a few more seconds off.

After the race, she shared a message for the young women watching her attempt:

“I will tell them that we are not limited. We can limit ourselves with our thoughts, but I think (it is) possible to try everything in our lives and prove to the world that we are strong.”

Kipyegon’s next race will be the 1,500 meters at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, which will feature several of the best mid-distance runners in the world, including Nikki Hiltz, Birke Haylom and Georgia Hunter Bell.