I used to be a track guy too. The only way it works is if he was a very solid D1 swimmer with a huge engine who also had a running background - say competitive soccer or actually used to train intervals. Otherwise he may have run 4:20 for 1500 at age 30, but that is about it. anything is possible, but very unlikely at age thirty (presumably after quitting full competitive swim training) he jumps on the track without spikes and any speedwork and runs a 4:20 mile.

Even more unlikely that he could come even close at 40.

The difference between say a 5 minute mile and 420 is huge. People don't appreciate how the improvement curve flatters at that speed for most runners - even very talented ones.

Surprised with the number of Sub4 responses. I ran the 3000 meter Steeplechase for a D1 school and could not come close to sub 4. A good 19 seconds out of my wheelhouse, which is a looooooong way from sub4.

Actually, I think we've only had one single actual sub-4 mile confirmed, by the handle waysub4.

Other sub-4 times referenced are all 1500m. Me, a very d3 typical 3:58. Corky, an extraordinarily d3 fast 3:48. I don't know what year he ran that, but typically that time would be in the hunt for d3 national champion victory. That is screaming - yet still just a 4:05 mile equivalent.

Yep, I also have my doubts about sub 4 milers at age 40. Is he Bernard Lagat? Lopez Lomong?

Only done one mile race (outdoors, point to point, with a couple hills) and ran 5:19.

I can't run a mile much faster than my 5k pace. And my 5k pace is not that much faster than my 10k pace. And I'm young, at age 28, though I never ran, other than basketball, before age 23.

Great points on both posts to those above.

I think I could qualify as that D1 swimmer with a huge engine, but my other background was a lot of cycling and also football (non-American type). I have nice 5k and 10k times, but no way at this point I could ever throw in any amount of speed work and get close to 4. I could quit everything else and run only for a few years and I doubt I'd ever go sub 4:15 at this age, but due to the specificity of spending the past 8 years re-shaping myself in to a different kind of athlete I would never ever get close.

Look at someone who came from a serious running background like Conky had posted and he certainly understands these things well enough not to think he could attain the past achievements of such specificity.

I've been towards the pointy end of "normal" masters running for the past 9 years - normal means excluding guys like Lagat, Meb, Abdi, Castille and similar. Now at 49 I can run age graded efforts around 90% on really good days from 5k to the half, they line up pretty good and I'm pretty sure I could hit the 1 mile 90% equivalent too, but I suspect it is pretty accurate to what I could do. IMO, the age grading get a bit more generous as I move up the ranks.

At 40, a 14:50 5k and 31:00 10k lines up with 4:20 mile for age % performancces. Those 5k and 10k times are pretty serious for a masters runner...I get that some runners are faster/slower/stronger/whatever, but it gives a little more context to what a similar effort for a 4:20 mile may be. No doubt, some can do it, but it is at the REALLY pointy end for "normal" masters runners...and the older we get, the faster we "used" to be, and more often than not, our brain often writes checks our bodies can't cash!

So, if someone is able to run a little speed work and be in the running for national championship masters type results in the mile, get after it! Luckily, the not "normal" masters guys typically are out earning money on the roads and don't pay much attention to mile races...

Here are the pros at sub 4

Winner @ 3:54
Fifth Avenue Mile 2018 men's race (FULL) I NBC Sports
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtewIpV52m8

https://results.nyrr.org/...t/185THAVE/finishers

Winner @ 3:52
2017
https://www.nbcsports.com/...th-avenue-mile-title
https://results.nyrr.org/event/5AV-17/finishers

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Coleen Quigley hit 4:20 in last year's race - pretty legit.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleen_Quigley


Professional[edit]
Quigley signed professionally with the Bowerman Track Club in June 2015. Later that year, she finished third in the steeplechase in 9:24.92 at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and finished 12th in the 3000 metres steeplechase event at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.[5][6][7]
She ran 9:20.00 to place ninth in the Diamond League event, Meeting de Paris, 2016.[8] Prior to that, Quigley had run a personal best time of 9:21.10 to place eighth in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Quigley had also run a personal best time of 9:21.29 to place third in the steeplechase behind Team USA teammates Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials to qualify to represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[9] On September 3, 2018, she lowered her steeplechase PR to 9:10.27 winning at ISTASF in Berlin, becoming the third-fastest American woman ever.[10]
On June 30, 2019, she ran 9:11.41 to place seventh, and third American, in the star-studded Diamond League steeple at the Prefontaine Classic held in Stanford, California. [11]


NCAA[edit]
Colleen Quigley earned nine NCAA All-American honors while running for Florida State University.[12]
She won 2015 the NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships Steeplechase title.[13] She won 2015 Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track 1500 meters title.Watch 1500 Final
Quigley earned 2015 Division 1 NCAA Indoor Women's Track and Field Championships Mile run bronze medal. She won 2015 Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track Mile run and Distance medley relay titles.[13] She won Boston University Terriers Invitational Mile run in a FSU record 4:29.67 and Distance medley relay titles.[14] She won Auburn Tigers Invitational Mile run title.
She won 2014 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Regional Cross country running title. She won 2014 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Atlantic Coast Conference Cross country running silver medal.[13] She won 2014 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Virginia Tech Hokies Invitational and Lehigh Mountain Hawks Invitational titles.[13]
She won 2014 Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track Steeplechase title.[13] She won 2014 Division 1 Alabama Crimson Tide Invitational 1500 meters title.[13] She won 2014 Division 1 Florida State Seminoles Invitational Steeplechase title.[13]
She won 2014 Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track Mile run title.[13] She won 2014 Division 1 Washington Huskies Classic Distance medley relay title.[13] She won 2014 Division 1 Indoor Track University of New Mexico Invitational 800 meters title.[13]
She placed sixth 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship national championships. She won 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Regional Cross country running title. She earned silver medal 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Atlantic Coast Conference Cross country running.[13] She won 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Florida State Seminoles Invitational and earned Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Appalachian State Mountaineers Invitational silver medals.[13]
Quigley earned 2013 Division 1 NCAA Outdoor Women's Track and Field Championship Steeplechase silver medal.[13]
She placed twelfth 2012 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship national championships. She earned silver medal at 2012 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Regional championships. She placed fourth 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship Atlantic Coast Conference Cross country running.[13] She won 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship University of Louisville Cardinals Pre-national Invitational and won 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Invitational title.[13] She placed 4th at the Virginia Tech Hokies Invitational.[13]
Quigley earned fifth place at 2012 Division 1 NCAA Outdoor Women's Track and Field Championship Steeplechase.[13] She earned a silver medal at 2012 Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track Steeplechase final.[13] She earned fourth at 2012 Division 1 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track Mile run title.[13]

---

https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney