Anything can happen in competition during the middle of winter, when few professional runners have raced in several months. The surprises are what makes the Millrose Games always worth watching—and the 111th edition on Saturday in New York didn’t disappoint.
The Armory hosted about 5,000 spectators who were treated to a successful women’s world-record attempt and those prestigious Wanamaker Miles, which are the marquee events at conclusion of the indoor track meet. Here are some of the highlights from the races this year:
The American Women’s 4 x 800-Meter World Record
The attempt to best the previous mark of 8:06.24, held by Russia since 2011, was started by Chrishuna Williams with a 2:05.10 split. From there, Raevyn Rogers ran 2:00.45 and Charlene Lipsey went 2:01.98. It came down to Ajee’ Wilson’s anchor leg. The American record holder in the 800 meters and the 2017 world championships bronze medalist held it together to post a 1:58.37, bringing the team to 8:05.89.
who competed at the 2016 Games in the 800 meters.
“That was the loudest I’ve ever heard it here,” she told Run/Walk a Race. “Every lap was high energy, it wasn’t just for the last 100. It was powerful during my entire leg.”
The Women’s 3,000-Meter Battle
Aisha Praught-Leer, an Olympic steeplechaser for Jamaica who trains with world champion Emma Coburn in Colorado, put in her career-best performance in the 3,000 meters, taking the win in 8:41.10 to Coburn’s 8:41.16. Dominique Scott-Efurd from South Africa was third in 8:41.18.
“I don’t think a lot during races, so when I saw that blond hair that I’m really familiar with, I just thought, ‘let’s go,’” Praught-Leer said to RRW, later adding, “I’m so happy we both ran fast.”
Karissa Schweizer, a senior at the University of Missouri who was the 2016 NCAA cross-country champion, was fourth in the race and set an NCAA record of 8:41.60. The mark was previously held by Jenny Simpson, 2016 later adding, “I’m so happy we both ran fast.&rdquo.
Chris O’Hare’s Mile Title
It’s always the most hyped race of the meet. This year the prerace chatter largely focused on Nick Willis’s sixth attempt at winning the Wanamaker Mile. It turned out that it, again, wasn’t his year. Willis was coming off a bout of flu ripping through his family and a stress reaction in his fibula, which he announced on Monday on Twitter.
Instead it was O’Hare of Great Britain who won in 3:54.14. He pressed the pace from the beginning, and although he showed strain in the last two laps, O’Hare held off a charging field for the win.
Josh Kerr, who is the NCAA indoor mile champion from the University of New Mexico, was second in 3:54.72 and Ben Blankenship, 2016 Olympian in the 1500 meters, was third in 3:54.77.
“I was looking up at the screen and I could see where they were coming from,” O’Hare said. “Every time I looked up they were a bit closer, but I just tried to stay smooth. I tightened up a lot on the last lap, but that’s what happens when you put in such a big effort with 600 to 700 meters to go.”
Colleen Quigley’s Victorious Millrose Debut
Quigley is a 2016 Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechaser who’s been injured for the past several months—she’s spent large portions of her training logging laps in the pool rather than on the track leading up to the indoor season. So, it was a surprise for fans to see her break the tape in the women’s Wanamaker Mile, just edging out her Bowerman Track Club training partner Kate Grace, ldquo;That was the loudest I’ve ever heard it here,” she told.
“It will be cool to see [Quigley] progress and get better at the mile,” Grace said, during a postrace interview with LetsRun. “She’s like a talent in that distance as well.”
Quigley’s time was 4:30.05 to Grace’s 4:30.08. Ciara Mageean of Ireland was third in 4:30.99.
