Breaking4
Breaking4 was an attempt by Kenyan middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon to become the first woman to break the four-minute barrier for the mile. Hosted by Nike, the event took place on 26 June 2025 at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France.[1]
Kipyegon fell 6.91 seconds short of the four-minute barrier with a time of 4:06.91, still faster than her official world record by 0.73 seconds.
Nike later subtracted the reaction time, adjusting her official time to 4:06.42.[2][3]
Background
[edit | edit source]In 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man to break four minutes in the mile, running 3:59.4.[4][5] That same year, Diane Leather became the first woman to break five minutes with 4:59.6.[6] As of June 2025, according to World Athletics statistics, roughly 2,000 men have broken the four-minute barrier.[7]
No woman has yet broken four minutes. The women's world record is 4:07.64, set by Kipyegon on 21 July 2023.[8] An earlier women's world record, 4:12.56 set by Svetlana Masterkova of Russia in 1996, stood for almost 23 years, with Masterkova being the first woman to break 4:15 at the distance.
Kipyegon also holds the world record over 1500 metres, which at the time was 3:49.04, set in 2024, at the Stade Sébastien Charléty.[note 1] The time equates to roughly a 4:06 mile pace.[9] Kipyegon's run has led some to speculate that the first women's sub-four minute mile may come within the 21st century.[10]
In January 2025, at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, Kipyegon did VO2 max testing along with other baseline tests in preparation for the attempt.[11] In February 2025, a scientific study was published in the Royal Society Open Science, stating that Kipyegon could run a mile in approximately 3:59.37 under very specific conditions, achieved through ideal pacesetters and weather conditions.[12][13]
In April 2025, it was announced that Kipyegon would attempt to become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile at a meeting in Paris on 26 June 2025.[14]
Setup and results
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The event was run in a similar manner to Nike's previous Breaking2 project for the marathon and the Ineos 1:59 challenge.[1] It was not record eligible because the custom pair of Victory Elite FK spikes Kipyegon wore were not submitted for approval by World Athletics prior to the event.[15][16]
In addition to the spikes, Kipyegon wore a specially designed speed suit and sports bra.[14][9]
To break the barrier, she would have to improve on her 4:07.64 personal best by at least 7.65 seconds.[6] Kipyegon fell 6.91 seconds short of the four-minute barrier with an unadjusted time of 4:06.91, which is still faster than her official world record by 0.73 seconds.[2][3]
Pacers
[edit | edit source]Breaking4 utilized a dozen male and female pacemakers:[17]
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Niels Laros | 6th in 2024 Olympic 1500 m final |
| Grant Fisher | World record holder in short track 3000 m and 5000 m, 2-time Olympic bronze medalist |
| Craig Engels | 3:51.60 mile personal best |
| Stewart McSweyn | 7th in 2020 Olympic 1500 m final |
| Jemma Reekie | 2024 800 m World Indoor silver medalist |
| Georgia Hunter Bell | 2024 1500 m Olympic bronze medalist |
| Halima Nakaayi | 2019 800 m world champion |
| Cooper Teare | 3:50.17 mile personal best |
| Elliot Giles | World record holder in road mile |
| Wyclife Kinyamal | 1:42.08 800 m personal best |
| Stefan Nillessen | Dutch 1500 m record holder |
| Cathal Doyle | 3:52.06 mile personal best |
Criticisms and challenges
[edit | edit source]On 26 April 2025, Kipyegon ran 2:29.21 for 1000 metres at the Xiamen Diamond League, a time 0.06 seconds off her personal best of 2:29.15 and 0.23 seconds off Svetlana Masterkova's world record of 2:28.98. This time equates to a 4:00.08 mile pace. Robert Johnson of LetsRun.com considered the attempt to be "ludicrous", since Kipyegon would be required to hold a slightly faster pace for approximately 609 metres longer.[18][19]
A scientific paper published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in April 2025 concluded that "there is no female athlete presently displaying the physiological characteristics required to run a sub-four minute mile".[11][20]
Streaming
[edit | edit source]The event was streamed live on Prime Video and Nike's YouTube channel, beginning at 7:15 PM local time. The first episode of a docuseries covering the event premiered on 20 June.[9]
See also
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Kipyegon has since improved her 1500 metre world record to 3:48.68, set in July 2025 at the Prefontaine Classic.
References
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