The record, step by step
The mile is 1609.344 metres, 109.344 metres longer than the 1500m. In August 1981 Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett exchanged the men's world record three times in just nine days. Steve Cram and Noureddine Morceli followed before Hicham El Guerrouj ran 3:43.13 in 1999. Nearly 27 years later, Josh Kerr lowered the record to 3:42.66 in London in 2026 (pending ratification).
On the women's side, Svetlana Masterkova's 4:12.56 from 1996 was lowered by Sifan Hassan to 4:12.33 in 2019, then by Faith Kipyegon to 4:07.64 in 2023.
Japan's progression
Kiyonari Shibata ran the men's outdoor mark of 3:58.89 in 1996. Ikuko Tamura set the women's mark at 4:34.81 in 2002, and nearly 21 years later Nozomi Tanaka lowered it to 4:32.73 in 2023.
JAAF's current table treats indoor performances as absolute mile records as well. To stay consistent with the rest of this site, this archive shows outdoor records only.