Faith Kipyegon Eyes History as First Woman to Run a Mile Under Four Minutes

In 2023, Kipyegon set a new women’s mile record of 4:07.64 at the Monaco Diamond League, shaving nearly five seconds off the previous mark set by Dutch Ethiopian runner Sifan Hassan. Kipyegon, a 3-time World and Olympic 1,500m champion, will have to run about eight seconds better than her record, a tall feat but one she strongly believes she can achieve.

“I’m a three-time Olympic champion. I’ve achieved World Championship titles,” she said. “The team and I were asking, what else can we achieve? Are we going for more medals? We asked, ‘Why don’t we dream outside the box? Achieve the impossible. Make it possible.”

During her attempt, Kipyegon will be assisted by in and out pacers to help reduce wind resistance, similar to Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge’s first attempt at running a sub-two-hour marathon in 2017. New high-tech shoes by Nike will aid her, including other physiological help. This means any new record will not be officially recognized.

Kipchoge, who eventually broke under two hours in the marathon in 2019 and shares a training coach with Kipyegon, believes his training partner has everything needed to hit her target. “What's special about Faith is that she is an abundant thinker,” he says. “She can absorb any goal. She’s a big dreamer; she respects everybody and communicates cohesively. She’s able to put a lot of ideas in a bag, shake it, and come out with the best one. Faith is the woman to take on this challenge because she’s open to trying.”

Currently, Kipyegon is training at altitude in Kenya, repeatedly running 300m spans in 43 seconds. Meanwhile, Nike says it is developing innovative footwear and apparel for the runner for her attempt, ensuring that “there will be no stone left unturned when it comes to improving her performance, her apparel and footwear, or aerodynamics on the day.”

Kipyegon’s attempt is also tied to being a mother, wanting her daughter Alyn to be proud of her, and helping to break another barrier for women. “I think this attempt could open the minds of women,” she says. “I hope they will be inspired to know that what a man can do, a woman can do. You can dream and make your goals happen. Boundaries are there to be pushed. This is the way to go as women, to push boundaries and dream big.”