The Vitality Westminster Mile takes place on Saturday 21 September on the Mall, commemorating 70 years since Sir Roger Bannister’s historic achievement as the first person to run a sub-four minute mile.
The schedule culminates with the British Milers Club (BMC) wave at 2.20pm, featuring a selection of middle-distance runners who will attempt to go sub-four in the men’s event and for the women sub-4:30.
In 2019 Chris O’Hare (4:01) and Melissa Courtney Bryant (4:31) were both close but this year London Marathon Events Director Hugh Brasher, son of one of Bannister’s original pacemakers, is determined for the barrier to be broken.
He told Athletics Weekly: “This year’s Vitality Westminster Mile will showcase the current rich generation of middle-distance talent here in the UK.”
Since its 2013 inauguration, no one has run under the historic benchmark around the St James’s Park loop.
The BMC has been tasked to find the athletes up for the challenge.
One athlete hoping to get close is 46-year-old Kirstie Booth, the 46-year-old who holds age group records at World and British level.
When Booth’s Taunton Athletics Club coach, Charlotte Fisher, asked her about the event, she jumped at the chance.
She said: “When you are a middle-distance runner, you don’t really get to run in cool places.”
Breaking the five-minute barrier is a tall order on the roads, according to Booth, and that time would surpass the first woman to do it, Diane Leather, who has the women’s trophy named in her honour.
Usually a 3000m Steeplechase runner, Booth has come into the event after breaking her foot this year.
She said: “I refocused on the 1500m and a mile is only a little further.
“When you are racing a 1500m, by the finish you are pretty spent so to do another 100m will be difficult”.
The hairdresser and qualified skydiver suggests the road element of the course is why the four-minute and 4:30 records remain unbroken.
She said: “It is really difficult to pace without the markers on the track.
“It also depends on the course, this one has three turns.”
Harrison Mayne, a stadium announcer for the BMC, shared the sentiment.
“With two near 90-degree corners, athletes’ strides are likely broken, causing energy to be lost, and the course contains 30 feet of elevation, which also limits the athletes.”
However, Booth praised the BMC as they help runners get the times they are looking for by providing pacers to keep them on time.
Competing alongside Booth will be former Team GB Olympian Katie Snowden, 30, who narrowly missed out on selection for Paris this year.
Snowden is ranked 4th in the UK in the 1500m and has a good chance of going under 4:30.
According to Mayne, Snowden is a firm favourite as she is the quickest BMC entrant by 11 seconds over the distance.
Mayne also said: “Watch for Khahisa Mhlanga who has run a track mile this season, finishing in 4:38 at Iffley Road in Oxford,” the famous track where Bannister broke the four-minute mile.
On the men’s side, Mayne tipped Joe Wigfield as the firm favourite from the BMC race.
“He’s a great track runner, and equally as good at road.
“With his 3:36 1500m PB, Joe is the one to watch.”
Wigfield set that personal best time at Tooting Bec Athletics Track in July.
A potential rival to Wigfield is James Young, who has run under the four-minute barrier twice this season on the track.
But with international athletes such as William Paulson poised to steal the trophy and with prize money on offer for the British talent, it is over to the athletes to try and make history.
With the conditions on Saturday not looking the best for record-breaking attempts, the athletes will have to push the limits on this challenging course.
