Bowerman Mile

Bowerman Mile
Hayward Field, the site of the Bowerman Mile.
LocationHayward Field
Eugene, Oregon, United States United States
Event typeTrack and field
DistanceOne Mile (1,609.344 meters)
Established2000
OrganizerPrefontaine Classic
Course recordsNorway Jakob Ingebrigtsen 3:43.73 (2023)

The Bowerman Mile is a prestigious and historic mile race for elite middle distance runners held annually at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

Along with Oslo's Dream Mile and New York's Wanamaker Mile, the Bowerman Mile is among the world's premier track mile races, and one of the few examples of a major international mile race, since the 1500m is the much more common event.[1]

The Bowerman Mile, and the Prefontaine Classic as a whole, is famous for its "Hayward Magic", where the crowds and energy of Hayward Field push competitors to fast times.[2] In fact, between the Bowerman Mile and other mile races held at the University of Oregon, Hayward Field has seen more than 500 sub-four minute mile clockings, the most of any facility in the world.[3]

  1. ^ "The Bowerman Mile: Why It Matters". Bring Back the Mile. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  2. ^ "Hayward Magic as world records fall on final session in Oregon | News | Oregon 22 | World Athletics Championships". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  3. ^ "Josh Kerr, Jakob Ingebrigtsen clash in Pre's Mile of the Century". Orange County Register. 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-25.