Kipyegon seeking sub-4 in groundbreaking race
Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 23.04.25. | 22:12
Just as Eliud Kipchoge’s Breaking2 in 2017 reimagined the boundaries of the marathon, Breaking4 seeks to do the same for women’s middle-distance running
Seventy years after Roger Bannister’s iconic sub-four-minute mile redefined the limits of human performance, another historic attempt is on the horizon, this time led by triple Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon.
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On Thursday 26 June, at Paris’s Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France, Kipyegon will line up for Breaking4. This is Nike’s ambitious initiative aiming to see the first woman ever run a mile in under four minutes.
Just as Eliud Kipchoge’s Breaking2 in 2017 reimagined the boundaries of the marathon, Breaking4 seeks to do the same for women’s middle-distance running.
The attempt window runs from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28 June, allowing organizers to stage the feat under the most favorable weather conditions.
Kipyegon is no stranger to rewriting history.
In 2023, she shattered world records in the 1500m (3:49.04), 5000m, and the mile (4:07.64).
A recent biomechanics study published in Royal Society Open Science projected that under ideal conditions, she could clock as fast as 3:59.37, the same time Bannister posted in 1954.
The study, co-authored by U.S. Olympian and Mayo Clinic biomechanics researcher Shalaya Kipp, found that optimal drafting, having pacers strategically placed both in front and behind, could significantly reduce her energy output and boost performance.
“If she’s able to go out and break these barriers, I think it would be a huge spectrum of women that she could show, ‘Hey, our bodies are more capable than we ever thought possible," Kipp said.
Notably, during her world record-setting mile in 2023, Kipyegon received minimal pacing assistance, running the final lap alone after her pacers surged ahead too quickly.
Like Kipchoge’s historic sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna, which did not meet record eligibility criteria due to rotating pacers and non-compliant footwear, Breaking4 is not necessarily about ratifying a world record. It is about reimagining possibility in women’s sports.
Nike, known for its game-changing innovations in performance footwear, is once again at the center of the movement. The company revolutionized marathon racing with its VaporFly 4% shoes in 2016, which led to sweeping medal wins and new regulations by World Athletics on shoe technology.
🔔 HISTORY ‼️
— Lynne Wachira (@WachiraLynne) April 23, 2025
✔️ Breaking 4..
✅ Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the 1st Woman to break the 4minute Barrier in the Mile.
✅ The Breaking4 event is scheduled for June, 26th in Paris 🇫🇷 but there is a window going all the way to the 28th to allow for ideal conditions. pic.twitter.com/LeYApHlR9v
For Breaking4, Nike has not yet disclosed what footwear Kipyegon will use. Given the likely use of rotating pacers, the run may not be record-eligible, granting Nike more flexibility to experiment with advanced prototypes, potentially beyond what’s allowed under current regulations.
In recent competitions, Kipyegon has preferred the Nike Zoom Victory 2 spikes, including during her gold medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics.
