Los 43 años de historia de la 5th Avenue Mile

The New Balance 5th Avenue Mile is one of the most iconic races on the NYRR calendar. Every year, thousands of runners of all ages and abilities—from youth to octogenarians, including a field of pro athletes from around the globe—line up in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and run 20 blocks down Fifth Avenue to finish at Grand Army Plaza.

This year on September 8 marks the 43rd running of this extraordinary race. Over the decades, participants, spectators, and fans have seen an incredible transformation as the 5th Avenue Mile has grown from an invitational race focused on a few dozen elite athletes to the 10,000-participant celebration it is today.

Beginnings

The first running, in 1981, featured such a strong field that the men’s course record still stands today! South African NCAA 1,500-meter champion Sydney Maree was granted clearance to compete in a time when South African runners often were banned from competition due to the country’s apartheid policies. Maree electrified the field with a 3:47.52 performance, an astonishing 2 seconds ahead of the competition, which included legends Steve Scott, John Walker, Steve Cram, Ray Flynn, Mike Boit, Eamonn Coghlan, Tom Byers, and Thomas Wessinghage.

That men’s race established the 5th Avenue Mile as the world’s premier road mile. Winners in the 1980s and 90s include Byers (1982), Scott (1983, 1988), Walker (1984), Frank O’Mara (1985), Peter Elliott (1987, 1989–90), Jason Pyrah (1994), and Isaac Viciosa (1995–98).

Women On the Rise

The women’s race, though unfortunately not given equal billing that first year, made up ground over the next two decades, featuring an incredible array of champions including Wendy Sly (1983), Maricica Puica (1984, 1986), Lynn Williams (1985), Mary Slaney (1988), PattiSue Plumer (1990), Alisa Harvey (1991, 1999), Sinead Delahunty (1995), and Paula Radcliffe (1996, 1997).

The victory by Plumer was particularly notable as the American former world No. 1–ranked 3,000-meter runner stormed to victory in 4:16.68, an event record that stood until 2022.

Local Stars Shine

During these years, New York City–area standout runners could participate in accompanying “metropolitan” heats. Competition was intense to take part in these races, and for several years NYRR held 5th Avenue Mile qualifying races Central Park over the summer.

In most years, the 5th Avenue Mile also included heats for top local high school boys and girls and for masters (age 40+) runners who met qualifying standards.

The race had some notable sponsors, including Mercedes, which for a few years in the 1980s and 90s awarded a Mercedes Benz car to the pro winners. New Balance became the title sponsor in 2016.

Mass Participation and Youth

Mass participation in the 5th Avenue Mile was slow to take off, and non-pro race results were only recorded starting in 2000.

“In 2000, the event became open to all, with age-group races throughout the day,” recalled Tom Kelley, NYRR’s longtime Head of Timing & Competition Management.

A total of 791 finishers were recorded that year; in 2001 the total was 1,144 finishers, and the numbers have continued to rise ever since.

Youth races have been part of the 5th Avenue Mile for decades, and in 2017 youth races were expanded to include short dashes for kids ages 2–11. This year’s Back to School Mile at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile includes Stage 1 (short dashes for ages 2–11), Stage 2 (non-competitive runs for ages 8–18), and Stage 3 (a competitive heat for ages 12–18).

The first Rising New York Road Runners Wheelchair Training program participants took part in the 2016 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile.

Records and Other Milestones

In the 2011 5th Avenue Mile, American Jenny Simpson followed her gold-medal performance in the 2011 World Athletics Championships 1,500 meters by winning the 5th Avenue Mile for the first time. She’s now won eight titles, more than any other competitor.

Among the professional men, Nick Willis of New Zealand has won five times (2008, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018).

Plumer’s 1990 record lasted until 2022, when Laura Muir of Great Britain broke it by running 4:14.8.

In 2021 NYRR added non-binary as a gender choice for both kids and adults, and NYRR’s results now display three gender categories (male, female, and non-binary) in both in-person and virtual race results.

The 2019 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile had a record 9,277 finishers, and there were 8,596 finishers in 2023.

A field of 10,000 is expected this year, with 29 heats including youth, multiple age groups, media, NYPD/FDNY, NYRR Road Mile Championships, and pros.

Check out live coverage of the New Balance 5th Ave Mile on race day! Two ways to watch:

• WABC-TV Channel 7 in the New York Tri-State area (12:00-1:00 p.m. ET)
• ESPN+ streaming nationwide (coverage begins at 12:00 p.m. ET)

Coverage includes features, interviews, and uninterrupted live commentary of the professional heats.

Read about the pro athletes running this year's race here.