Inside Nike's Breaking4 as Faith Kipyegon looks to go where no woman has before
Faith Kipyegon will look to go where no woman has before by attempting to break four minutes for a mile tonight (June 26). And while the greatest female middle distance athlete of all time admits it is a 'moonshot', the full weight of Nike's innovation machine gives her a chance.
Kipyegon's world record, set in July 2023, stands at 4:07.64 – meaning she will need to run two seconds quicker per lap at Paris' Stade Charlety, where she last year obliterated the 1500m record.
'This is the biggest challenge I've ever had in my life,' she says.
But with three consecutive Olympic titles and four World Championship golds, plus records across multiple distances, the Kenyan great was left thinking: 'What else? Why not dream outside the box?'
If she does achieve what has seemed impossible, World Athletics will not ratify it as an official record.
That is because she will be assisted by a suite of tools not eligible for standard races – in a similar mould to Eliud Kipchoge's Breaking 2 project nine years ago.
Nike have created unapproved spikes specifically for her feet and a speedsuit with nodes that they say will reduce wind resistance.
She will then be supported by a team of interchangeable pacers – including rivals such as Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell – formed in the shape of number 7 to ensure there is no drag.
It is all very similar to Kipchoge's initial Nike-backed marathon attempt in 2017 when he fell narrowly short of running sub-two hours but went quicker than the then world record.
The smart money is on a similar result here and the 3 per cent improvement required compared to her current best is much higher than Kipchoge's target.
Her current record is 4.67secs faster than the second best set by Dutch maverick Sifan Hassan – underlining both how far ahead of every other woman she is and how tomorrow's quest is really a moonshot.
Still, Kipyegon is leaning into her mentor and great friend Kipchoge's motto of 'no human is limited.'
Seven years ago she became a mother and roared back to win 1500m gold in Tokyo and Paris while lowering the record in that event, the Mile and 5000m (which has since been beaten).
Throughout Kipyegon has become adored by her rivals, with those reduced to the minor placings saying that they have been inspired rather than demoralised by her dominance.
And that, more than it being a marketing stunt for her biggest sponsor, is the real essence of this challenge. Almost 2,000 men have broken the sub-four barrier since Sir Roger Bannister managed what he was told could never be done 71 years ago.
Kipyegon has already blazed the trail for women's sport, forcing her competition to run faster than they ever thought possible. But to smash one of the great remaining barriers, even in this manufactured setting, will again redefine the boundaries of physical limits.
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