New York, September 10, 2017—The USA’s Jenny Simpson raced to her record-extending sixth win – matching the event-record time of 4:16.6 in the process – and New Zealand’s Nick Willis took the tape in 3:51.3, tying the men’s record with his fourth event title, at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile on Sunday, September 10.

In the world’s largest and longest running road mile race, 31-year-old Simpson won for the sixth time – the fifth time consecutively – with her time of 4:16.6 matching PattiSue Plummer’s event record from 1990. It was also new personal-best time for Simpson, who ended her 2017 season on the top of the podium after having already won silver over 1500 meters at August’s IAAF World Championships in London.

“I thought the course record would have been out of reach for my whole career, so I’m really proud to have equaled it,” Simpson said. “I’ve had all the range of emotions before on 5th Avenue. I’ve finished this race before and cried because the season felt so long. I’ve finished this race before and hoped there was another race the next week. I feel so appropriately in the middle of those two emotions right now.”

Great Britain’s Laura Weightman, 26, took second in the women’s race in her second appearance on 5th Avenue, clocking in at 4:17.6. Her compatriot Jessica Judd, 22, was third in 4:18.3 in her event debut. Both times were personal bests for the British women.

Willis, 34, won his fourth event title to add to his victories from 2008, 2013, and 2015. The-four time Olympian, who trains in Ann Arbor, MI, is now tied with Spain’s Isaac Viciosia for the most men’s 5th Avenue Mile titles.

Great Britain’s Chris O’Hare, 26, finished as the men’s runner-up for the second time in three years, clocking in at 3:52.0. Ben Blankenship, 27, was the top American finisher on the men’s side, finishing third overall in a personal-best time of 3:52.3.

In total, 7,664 finishers crossed the finish line at this year’s New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, the most ever in the 37-year history of the event. The previous record number of total finishers was 6,330, set in 2015. Twenty-three races took place throughout the day, including specialty heats such as the Youth Wheelchair Invitational, George Sheehan Memorial Mile for seniors, the Media Mile, the NYPD/FDNY Mile and the New Balance 5 Borough Mile, which brought together teams of 20 runners from each of New York City’s five boroughs in a race to prove which borough is the fastest. Brooklyn was the winning borough of the first-ever New Balance 5 Borough Mile, while NYRR Team for Kids Ambassadors Tiki Barber, Sam Ryan, and Nev Schulman all participated in the Media Mile and will be racing the TCS New York City Marathon later this year.

Full results and coverage from the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile can be found at www.nyrr.org. Photos from the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile will be made available shortly at NYRR’s online media center. Caption and credit information is contained in the metadata and in NYRR’s online media center; credit all photos “Courtesy of NYRR” unless otherwise specified. For any specific requests, please email media@nyrr.org.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit nyrr.org.