Ewoi Runs Sixth-Fastest Time In The World With 4:19.71 In First Outdoor Mile; Suliman Picks Up First Pro Win With 3:51.86

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan photos

Great weather, raucous support around the track at Meredith College and perhaps some inspiration emanating from Paris led to a record-setting night at the Sir Walter Miler. 

Raleigh, N.C.'s annual running and racing celebration produced meet records, first for Dorcus Ewoi in the women's race, and then Waleed Suliman in the men's race. 

Ewoi, an 800-meter specialist who had not run a mile outdoors, ended up running the sixth-fastest time in the world this year to hold off Sage Hurta-Klecker of On Athletics Club and Heather MacLean of New Balance Boston, who drove the pace in the final two laps. 

WEBCAST REPLAY | RESULTS

Ewoi's time of 4:19.71 broke Nikki  Hiltz's meet record (4:21.89) by two seconds and is the fastest ever on North Carolina soil. She attended college in the state at Campbell University. 

Ewoi was fifth in the 2023 NCAA 800 meters final and had run a personal best time of 1:58.19 at the Holloway Pro Classic on July 19 in Florida. 

"I came in to compete, stay in there with everybody, and at the end, kick. And I won," she said. 

Ewoi veered to the outside to go around MacLean, who was seventh in the Olympic Trials 1,500 meters final, and Hurta-Klecker, who was fifth in the Trials 800, coming around the final curve and into a corridor of fans lining the inside and outside of the final straightaway. 

Hurta-Klecker responded to Ewoi's move and came up a stride short in 4:19.89, good for No. 6 on the all-time U.S. list. MacLean ran 4:20.41 for No. 8 all-time. 

All three went under the meet record. 

In the men's race, Suliman threw his conservative race plan out the window and charged home to win his first professional race in a personal best time of 3:51.86. 

Suliman, of the Brooks Beasts, led three others under the meet record time of 3:53.34 by Yared Nuguse in 2022. 

"My plan was to go out in second or third, and I tried to do that and somehow ended up in the front," Suliman said. "So I threw the plan away. Might as well go, it's a suicide mission."

Suliman, who ran at Ole Miss, was third in the 2021 NCAA 1,500 meters final. He had run a personal best 3:33.82 for fourth place at the Ed Murphey Classic on July 12. 

Ben Nagel paced the men through the first 440 yards in 58.7 and the half-mile in 1:57.16. 

Festus Lagat of Under Armour was second in 3:52.63, Sam Gilman of New Balance Boston made a late charge and finished third in 3:52.81 and Sean McGorty of Nike Bowerman Track Club was fourth in 3:53.00. 

Defending champion Amon Kemboi was in touch with the lead early but finished 11th in 3:58.94. 

North Carolina native Craig Engels was in striking position in the middle of the race and finished eighth in 3:53.99.