MacLean Runs 4:17.01 At BU, Breaks American 1,500 Meters Record; Yared Nuguse Comes Up Short In WR Attempt With 3:47

By Oliver Hinson for DyeStat

John Nepolitan file photo

BOSTON — Heather MacLean established herself as one of the primary threats on the global mid-distance scene Sunday, clocking a 4:17.01 in the mile at the BU Last Chance Indoor Qualifier.

MacLean’s mark is the second-fastest indoor mile ever by an American, just half a second behind Elle St. Pierre’s 4:16.41 from the Millrose Games last year. It also ranks fourth on the all-time world indoor list.

MacLean said she had been aiming for the world championships qualifying standard of 4:22.50 heading into the race, but she led the race wire-to-wire at sub-4:20 pace. She and Susan Ejore came through 1209 meters at 3:13, but MacLean pulled away over the last 400, winning the race by over four seconds. According to the World Athletics scoring tables, that performance is her best ever, narrowly beating her 3:58.31 performance in the 1,500 meters from last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials.

MacLean's en route 1,500 meters time of 3:59.6 broke an American record held by St. Pierre, who ran 4:00.20 on the way to her record in 2020.

Leading the chase pack, On Athletics Club teammates Sintayehu Vissa and Maia Ramsden went 2-3, running 4:21.51 and 4:21.56, respectively. Both set national records — Vissa for Italy and Ramsden for New Zealand.

Ejore came through in fourth in 4:22.21, followed by Dorcas Ewoi in 4:22.39.

Meanwhile, Yared Nuguse’s attempt to reclaim the indoor world record in the men’s mile didn’t come to fruition; he ran 3:47.22, a full two seconds behind Jakob Ingebrigsten’s record of 3:45.14 and half a second behind his own personal best of 3:46.63. 

However, Nuguse still beat a stacked field by over three seconds, and he now owns three of the top six fastest indoor mile times ever.

His teammate Olli Hoare stayed just behind him through about 1,000 meters, performing de facto pacing duties, and he was able to hold on to second place as the chase pack nipped at his heels in the last lap. He ran 3:50.77, beating his indoor PB by .06 seconds. 

Luke Houser, coming off a third place finish in the 1,500 meters at the USATF Indoor Championships last weekend, took third in 3:51.14, narrowly missing the world standard of 3:50.50. 

Andrews and Young attack American all-time lists

Josette Andrews secured the world standard, world lead, a personal best and the second-fastest time in American history in the women’s 5,000 meters, crossing the line in 14:44.80. 

After taking the lead at 3,000 meters, she found herself in a two-horse race with Emily Mackay, and she pulled away over the last kilometer to win by over a second, despite a last-lap surge by Mackay, who broke her own indoor PB by almost a minute.

Lauren Ryan and Katelyn Tuohy set PBs of their own, too, taking third and fourth in 15:05.68 and 15:07.27, respectively.

The men’s 5,000 meters was a little more compact than the women’s race, but Nico Young and Adriaan Wildschutt separated themselves from the pack over the last kilometer, and Young surged in the last lap to take the win in 12:51.56, also a No. 2 all-time American indoor mark and a PB. Young has only raced four times so far this indoor season, but he’s shown impressive range in those races, setting PBs in the mile and 5,000 meters.

Wildschutt crossed the line in 12:55.02, also a personal best and a South African national record. In January, he became the first South African to break 13 minutes in the indoor 5,000 meters, which he also accomplished on the BU track.

On Athletics club teammates Ky Robinson and Dylan Jacobs took third and fourth in 13:02.34 and 13:07.89, respectively. Both are in their first year with OAC, and they have both set multiple PBs since joining the team, including both of their marks from this race.

Drew Hunter, in his first race since leaving adidas and signing with ASICS, took fifth in 13:17.35, an indoor PB by over 30 seconds.

In the men’s 3,000 meters, Graham Blanks threw down another impressive performance in his backyard, crossing the line in 7:29.72, the fourth-best all-time indoor mark for an American. Blanks ran most of the race solo, and he ran almost perfectly even splits; from 400 meters to 2800 meters, every lap was between 29.78 and 30.23 seconds.

Behind him, Valentin Soca finished second in 7:34.10, followed by Sam Gilman in 7:34.69. Gilman was chasing the world standard of 7:31, but he wasn’t able to latch on to that pace from the beginning.

Aidan McCarthy from Cal Poly won the men’s 800 meters in 1:45.19, an NCAA-leading mark and the third-fastest collegiate indoor mark ever. McCarthy destroyed his previous PB, a 1:46.26 performance from last year’s NCAA West Preliminary Round.

Sage Hurta-Klecker won the women’s 1,000 meters in 2:36.13, a PB by a quarter of a second. She ran solo from the gun and was on pace for a much stronger performance through 800 meters, coming through in 2:02.40, but she broke down in the last lap and closed in 33.74.