In the run up to our MILE DASH SERIES (info) to be held from Tuesday Evening 6th May 2014 we want to give you some background history of the mile race and how important it is to our athletics history.
In our last article we discussed the Irish Mens Milers Records. HERE. We would like to thank all those who commented on the article and we have made some updates to include a second Irish Man who broke the 4minute mile marker. Frank Conway
Now it is the ladies turn
History
The women’s mile world record, and women’s mile running in general, were basically ignored by the track and field establishment and most of the public for many years. Roger Bannister was celebrated as the first man to run a sub-4:00 mile in 1954. But Great Britain’s Diane Leather enjoyed no such headlines just 23 days later when she became the first woman to break the five minute barrier, finishing in 4:59.6 at the Midland Championships at Birmingham. She was just 21 years old. Gender equity had not yet come to track and field. Even the IAAF didn’t recognize a women’s mile world record.
At this time there was an overall lack of recognition for women’s distance running, and to a large degree, women’s athletics in general.
For example, at the Olympic Games in 1952, there were only two straight, individual women’s races, the 100 and 200. There was an 800-meter race in 1928 – the first Olympics in which women competed – but the race was discontinued until 1960. The women’s 1500 meters – 109.32 meters short of a mile – wouldn’t be contested in the Olympics until 1972.
Recognized or not, women continued to run distance events. It was Anne Rosemary Smith of Great Britain who first gained the IAAF’s attention in June of 1967, when her time of 4:37.0 was ratified by the IAAF as its first official women’s world mile record.
British Athletics on Diane Leather: HERE
History
The women’s mile world record, and women’s mile running in general, were basically ignored by the track and field establishment and most of the public for many years. Roger Bannister was celebrated as the first man to run a sub-4:00 mile in 1954. But Great Britain’s Diane Leather enjoyed no such headlines just 23 days later when she became the first woman to break the five minute barrier, finishing in 4:59.6 at the Midland Championships at Birmingham. She was just 21 years old. Gender equity had not yet come to track and field. Even the IAAF didn’t recognize a women’s mile world record.
At this time there was an overall lack of recognition for women’s distance running, and to a large degree, women’s athletics in general.
For example, at the Olympic Games in 1952, there were only two straight, individual women’s races, the 100 and 200. There was an 800-meter race in 1928 – the first Olympics in which women competed – but the race was discontinued until 1960. The women’s 1500 meters – 109.32 meters short of a mile – wouldn’t be contested in the Olympics until 1972.
Recognized or not, women continued to run distance events. It was Anne Rosemary Smith of Great Britain who first gained the IAAF’s attention in June of 1967, when her time of 4:37.0 was ratified by the IAAF as its first official women’s world mile record.
 |
| Diane Leather |
The Fastest Women's Mile: Svetlana Masterkova
Svetlana Masterkova of Russia set the world record in her first-ever mile run, with a time of 4:12.56 at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland on Aug. 14, 1996. For a reluctant athlete, Svetlana Masterkova endured a remarkable amount of pain to briefly become the world’s top middle distance runner. During an incredible four-week stretch in 1996, Masterkova won two Olympic gold medals, then set a pair of world records, including the women’s mile record of 4:12.56.
The Fastest Irish Women’s Mile.The fastest Irish Women’s record is held by Sonia O’Sullivan. Sonia, born in Cobh Co. Cork, represented Ireland at an international level for 19 years between 1988 and 2007.
During 1994, Sonia O'Sullivan totally dominated the international distance running scene. She set the fastest time of the year in four events, the 1500m, 1 mile, 2000m and 3000m, and the second fastest time in the 5000m.
On 8 July, at Edinburgh, she broke the 2000m world record, setting a new time of 5:25.36. This record still stands today. The next week, in London, she broke the European record for the 3000m, beating Britain's Yvonne Murray, and setting the year's fastest time of 8:21.64. This moved her to fifth on the all-time world list, behind the four Chinese runners who had set their personal bests at the 1993 National Championships in Beijing.
Only three days later, at Nice, O'Sullivan recorded the year's fastest 1500m, a personal best, of 3:51.10, and only four days after that, on 22nd July 1994, she won the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo, in a time of 4:17.25. This was the season's best, and it moved Sonia to fourth on the all-time world list. All four of these times were also new Irish records.
Athletics illustrated Interview with Sonia: HERE
Svetlana Masterkova of Russia set the world record in her first-ever mile run, with a time of 4:12.56 at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland on Aug. 14, 1996. For a reluctant athlete, Svetlana Masterkova endured a remarkable amount of pain to briefly become the world’s top middle distance runner. During an incredible four-week stretch in 1996, Masterkova won two Olympic gold medals, then set a pair of world records, including the women’s mile record of 4:12.56.
 |
| Svetlana Masterkova |
During 1994, Sonia O'Sullivan totally dominated the international distance running scene. She set the fastest time of the year in four events, the 1500m, 1 mile, 2000m and 3000m, and the second fastest time in the 5000m.
On 8 July, at Edinburgh, she broke the 2000m world record, setting a new time of 5:25.36. This record still stands today. The next week, in London, she broke the European record for the 3000m, beating Britain's Yvonne Murray, and setting the year's fastest time of 8:21.64. This moved her to fifth on the all-time world list, behind the four Chinese runners who had set their personal bests at the 1993 National Championships in Beijing.
Only three days later, at Nice, O'Sullivan recorded the year's fastest 1500m, a personal best, of 3:51.10, and only four days after that, on 22nd July 1994, she won the mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo, in a time of 4:17.25. This was the season's best, and it moved Sonia to fourth on the all-time world list. All four of these times were also new Irish records.
 |
| Sonia O'Sullivan |
The Fastest Kerry Woman for the Mile?
 |
| Laura Crowe |
|
TIME
|
NAME
|
PLACE
|
DATE
|
|
|
1
|
04:17.2
|
Sonia O'Sullivan
|
Oslo
|
22-Jul-94
|
|
2
|
04:25.4
|
Geraldine Hendricken
|
Naimette-Xhovémont
|
27-Aug-02
|
|
3
|
04:27.4
|
Sinéad Evans
|
Nice
|
16-Jul-97
|
|
4
|
04:27.9
|
Aisling
Molloy
|
Cork
|
05-Jul-91
|
|
5
|
4:30.06i
|
Roísín McGettigan
|
Boston MA
|
07-Feb-09
|
|
6
|
04:30.4
|
Mary Purcell
|
London
|
13-Jul-80
|
|
7
|
04:30.4
|
Monica Joyce
|
Berkeley CA
|
12-Jun-82
|
|
8
|
04:32.2
|
Elaine Fitzgerald
|
Hechtel
|
07-Aug-99
|
|
9
|
4:32.29i
|
Mary Cullen
|
New York NY
|
20-Jan-07
|
|
10
|
04:33.0
|
Una English
|
Sheffield
|
14-Aug-92
|
|
11
|
04:33.2
|
Maria Lynch
|
Heusden
|
20-Jul-02
|
|
12
|
04:33.6
|
Claire Tarplee
|
Cork
|
17-Jul-12
|
|
13
|
04:34.2
|
Regina Joyce-Bonney
|
Westwood CA
|
16-May-82
|
|
14
|
04:36.0
|
Stephanie Reilly
|
Falmouth MA
|
13-Aug-11
|
|
15
|
04:36.4
|
Valerie Vaughan
|
Linz
|
05-Jul-98
|
|
16
|
04:36.7
|
Geraldine Nolan
|
Cork
|
24-Jun-95
|
|
17
|
04:36.8
|
Orla Drumm
|
Walnut CA
|
20-Apr-12
|
|
18
|
04:37.7
|
Catriona McKiernan
|
1992
|
|
|
19
|
4:37.76i
|
Deirdre Byrne
|
Boston MA
|
10-Feb-07
|
|
20
|
04:38.4
|
Laura Crowe
|
Newcastle
|
14-Sep-13
|
|
21
|
4:38.81i
|
Ciara Mageean
|
New York NY
|
22-Jan-11
|
|
22
|
04:40.6
|
Aoife Byrne
|
Melbourne
|
02-Mar-07
|
|
23
|
04:41.0
|
Roisin Smyth
|
1991
|
|
|
24
|
4:41.76i
|
Anita Philpott
|
1988
|
|
|
25
|
4:42.44i
|
Natalie Davey
|
1991
|
|
|
26
|
4:43.51i
|
Maria McCambridge
|
14-Feb-98
|
|
|
27
|
04:43.9
|
Marie Davenport
|
1995
|
|
|
28
|
04:44.0
|
Ciara Durkan
|
Dublin
|
17-Jul-13
|
|
29
|
04:45.6
|
Niamh Beirne
|
1998
|
|
|
30
|
04:45.9
|
Susan Murnane
|
1996
|
|
|
Oversized track
|
||||
|
|
4:45.71i
|
Kelly Neely
|
Lexington KY
|
07-Feb-09
|
Taken from AAI Statistics: http://www.tilastopaja.org/db/toplist.php?list=topirlallt&Ind=0
STATS.
The closest anyone has come to breaking Sonia’s mile record was Geraldine Hendricken in 2002 in a time of 04:25.4. This was still 8sec. off the record.
In the 1990’s there was a staggering 14 times when the Irish women broke the 5 min. mile mark. Which included Sonia’s Irish record in 1994. In the 2000’s there was a drop of about 50%. But similar to the Irish men’s stats, so far in this decade there has been 6 ladies under the 5 min. mile pace. If this trend continues we should see the sub 5 min. mile reaching 18-20 by 2020. Will we see Sonia’s record broken.? There is still some ways to go, so far this decade the fastest in the Irish mile on record is 04:36.0.
An interesting point is why the decline in the 2000’s. Had the “Celtic Tiger” a lot to do with this?