Can Faith Kipyegon Run A Sub 4 Minute Mile?

Picture from Nike

Remember Nike's Breaking 2 project where Eliud Kipchoge went under 2 hours for the marathon? Nike is at it again, this time with Kenya's Faith Kipyegon, who will attempt to make history by becoming the first woman to go under 4 minutes for the mile.

Kipyegon already holds the mile and 1500 m world records and has worn 3 Olympic gold medals in the 1500 m. Her current world record for the mile is 4:07.61 min. Can she take more than 7 seconds off the world record? It is definitely an audacious attempt, but she wants to push boundaries and "dream outside the box".

The Breaking 4 project was announced by Nike in partnership with Kipyegon last week with Nike pledging to create a "holistic system of support that optimizes every aspect of her attempt".

This is good news as Nike had fallen behind their competitors during the Covid-19 years. Then Nike CEO John Donahoe who was appointed in January 2020 for his digital chops so he could help Nike cut out retailers (like Foot Locker and Macy's) by improving their e-commerce operations. As Nike cut off their wholesale partners, it paved the way for other upstart competitors like On Running and Hoka to take over crucial shelf space and grab market share.

Personally, I felt that Donahoe (former eBay and ServiceNow CEO), lacked the deep understanding required for the sneaker culture and industry that Nike required. Donahoe went too much into releasing different editions of Nike's classic sneaker lines (Dunks, Air Force 1's and Air Jordans). He  neglected the innovation section which led to Nike developing the Alphafly's that help Kipchoge break 2 hours  for the marathon.

Am glad he was replaced by Elliot Hill as CEO in October, 2024. Hill had retired from Nike in 2020, prior to Donahue being appointed. Hill was previously with Nike for more than 32 years. He will be better at getting back to the fundamentals that made Nike the market leader in sneakers and athletic apparel previously.

Kipyegon currently trains in Kenya with Kipchoge (who else) while Nike has a team at its headquarters in Oregon crafting her spikes and apparel while analyzing her scans to help her. 

She will only make 1 attempt on June 26, 2025 at the Stade Charlety in Paris, where she previously set world records for the 5,000 metres in 2023 and the 1,500 metres in 2024.

Can she break the world record? Da Silva and colleagues (2025) recently published an article suggesting that with "greatly improved" yet "reasonable" aerodynamic drafting off pacesetters, Kipygeon can break the barrier. 

Let's see if she can do it.

Reference

Da Silva ES, Hoogkamer W, Kipp S et al (2025). Could A Female Athlete Run A 4-Minute Mile With Improved Aerodynamic Drafting? Royal Soc Open Sci. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.241564

The Longest Race

I definitely remember watching Kara Goucher racing in her first Boston Marathon in 2009. In fact, I always played a video of how her running style was different from Salina Kosgei and Dire Tune when I was giving talks on running technique.

Picture by Tim Kelley from Flickr

The trio ran shoulder to shoulder from Kenmore Square to the final right turn on Hereford Street. Kosgei and Tune broke away from Goucher, and sprinted down Boylston Street. Kosgei was behind Tune before hitting the finishing tape one stride in front, timing her kick to perfection. Goucher finished third, 9 seconds back in 2:32:02 hours. She was sobbing visibly and no one could have guessed what she went through for that podium placing.

I bought a copy of her just released autobiography "The Longest Race" as she reveals her experience of living through and speaking out against the secretive and lavishly funded " Nike Oregon Project" - one of the biggest scandals in distance running.

She revealed for the first time in the book that her Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar sexually assaulted her twice while massaging her. He also sexually harassed her while flying to competitions (twice he had been drinking and taken Ambien). Salazar is currently banned for 4 years by the US Anti-Doping Agency and permanently banned by the US Center for SafeSport for sexual misconduct.

I was horrified (but not surprised) after reading the details Goucher shared about the sexual assaults since there were earlier stories from other athletes like Mary Cain and Amy Begley. They told of  the physical and verbal abuses they received from Salazar after they came forward earlier while training together.

Throughout the book, a group of men at Nike fostered this misogyny and abuse. Then Nike CEO, Mark Parker, John Capriotti (VP of Nike Track and Field), John Slusher (executive VP of Nike Marketing), Darren Treasure (Hired as Oregon Project's sports psychologist, but never licensed) and Alberto Salazar.

Goucher describes going to the Nike venue 11 days after giving birth, wearing "two sports bras and a diaper under my running tights while completing a timed mile on the track." She felt pressure to get back to training immediately since Nike had suspended her contract when she was pregnant since clauses mandated how often she had to race to receive payment. 

Slusher confirmed that Nike would dock Goucher US$325,000 in pay even though she had made many appearances on behalf of Nike during her leave from competition. Nike even timed her pregnancy annoucement for maximum marketing effect.

Meanwhile, USA Track & Field, governing body of the sport (whose funding is controlled by Nike) had cut off her family's health insurance because her marathon ranking had dropped while she was pregnant.

I already know this is common practice thanks to Olympians Allyson Felix and Alysia Montano (pictured below) who shared similar maternal experiences with Nike while pregnant. If Allyson Felix, winner of seven Olympic gold medals and 14-times World Champion in athletics cannot secure maternity protection from Nike, who can?

After reading what happened, who was involved and how the biggest brand in sports allowed this to happen to the their country's top athletes, I'm wondering if we should still be buying that pair of Nike shoes or any Nike merchandise?

How about female athletes in Singapore? I'm hoping that none of our female athletes go through this. We need to make sports safe and fair for everyone.

Reference

Goucher K  and Pilon M(2023). The Longest Race: Inside The Secret World Of Abuse, Doping, And Deception On Nike's Elite Running Team. Gallery Books. Simon & Schuster Inc. New York..

*The 127th edition of the Boston Marathon takes place tomorrow on 17th April, 2023.

It May All Be In The Hips

*Very nice hip extension, Prefontaine leading Viren

Last week article was all about reducing your injury risk to stay healthy so you can keep training consistently.  Training consistently allows you to improve. For those of you who participate in races, this week's article will discuss how to improve your athletic performance with another simple exercise.

The biggest muscle we have in the human body is the big and very strong gluteus maximus muscle (there are also two smaller gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles). The gluetus maximus muscle extend our hips. This is evident when we're climbing stairs, running up slopes and especially if you're having to sprint for the finish line.

My patients who run tell me they often go to the gym to do strengthening exercises as well to get stronger. Often they are told by their personal trainers to make their quadriceps stronger. Nothing against making the quads stronger, but if you're hoping to improve your sprint performance by doing lots of squats then you should consider another exercise.

Researchers studied whether training the gluteus maximus or the quadriceps stronger was more effective for performance found that the hip thrust exercise (for gluteus maximus) more specific and better gains transferred to running/ sprinting (Gonzalez-Garcia et al, 2019).

Hip thrust (also called bridging)

What exactly is a hip thrust? The easiest way to do it is lying on a firm surface with your knees bent and lift your buttocks (also known as bridging). You can add resistance by doing it with a elastic band around your waist to make it more difficult. In the hospitals, this exercise is often given to patients who are recuperating from surgery.

Single leg version on unstable surface

To progress, you can bridge on an unstable surface like a gym ball with both legs followed by single leg (picture above).

If you're in the gym, while facing upwards, you can rest your arms and neck on a bench and bridge with your knees bent. I've also seen gym rats resting a loaded barbell on the hips to make it more difficult.

All the above described exercises are all suitable and good if you want to make your hip extensors (gluteus maximus) stronger. However, they are all done lying down, i.e. in a non weight bearing position. In running, you are definitely upright and not lying down.

Starting position

Hence, my preferred way to make the gluteus maximus stronger is in a standing position with an elastic band. Lean forward slightly with your back straight and straighten your right leg against the resistance of the elastic band. Repeat with good form until fatigue and do the same with your left leg.

Extending the R hip

I find that this way of strengthening the gluteus maximus is more specific and mimics the running posture. Strength gains are more easily transferred.

Reference

Gonzalez-Garcia J, Morencos E et al (2019). Effects Of 7-Week Hip Thrust Versus Back Squt Resistance Training On Performance In Adolescent Female Soccer Players. Sports. 7(4): 80. DOI: 10.3390/sports7040080.

*Taken from page 46 and 47 with my iPhone X from one of my favorite books "The Olympians" by Sebastian Coe with Nicholas Mason.

You see Steve Prefontaine leading Lasse Viren in the 1972 Munich Olympics with brilliant form! Excellent hip extension, Viren with his R hip, Prefontaine with his L hip. Both were wearing Adidas at this Olympics.

Prefontaine would later be the poster boy for Nike while Viren would do the same for Asics.