Jemma Reekie runs 4:13.8 on wet roads, the fastest mile ever on Fifth Avenue

It rained on Manhattan overnight and a flood watch was still in place on Sunday morning, which made no difference to Jemma Reekie. On the 20 blocks of Fifth Avenue from East 80th to East 60th Street she broke clear of two Americans, Josette Andrews and Rachel McArthur, and won the 45th New Balance 5th Avenue Mile in 4:13.8. The old course record of 4:14.8 had been shared by Laura Muir, from 2022, and Karissa Schweizer, from 2024. Andrews ran 4:16.1 and McArthur 4:17.7.

Reekie had not raced here since 2023 and had set the European road mile record in Düsseldorf seven days earlier. This was her third Fifth Avenue title, after 2021 and 2023; only Jenny Simpson, with eight, has more. She said afterwards it was her last race of the season.

The men's race was the first professional road race on home soil for Marco Langon, 22, from New Jersey, who also won in Düsseldorf a week ago. He outkicked Jake Heyward of Wales and Adam Spencer of Australia to win in 3:45.0, the second-fastest time in the event's history behind Josh Kerr's 3:44.3 from 2024. Heyward and Spencer were both given 3:45.8, with Heyward second by the narrowest margin.

New York Road Runners put more than 8,700 runners through 30 heats, with 8,206 finishers. Twenty-seven men broke four minutes, a record for any mile race on road or track. Each winner took 5,000 dollars from a 34,000 dollar purse.

Twenty blocks, one straight line, a wet road. The biggest road mile in the world is still the fastest.

Sources: Athletics Weekly; Bring Back the Mile (NYRR release).