Scottish runner Laura Muir wins Fifth Avenue Mile title - what is it, the distance, previous record set

Laura Muir, a middle distance runner from Glasgow, won her first Fifth Avenue title with a new record time of 4:14.8, two seconds faster than eight-time champion Jenny Simpson from the United States.

Muir took control of the race which included her training partner and previous year’s champion Jemma Reekie, shortly before the 800 metre mark, splitting 2:09 to claim the halfway bonus.

American Nikki Hiltz finished second in 4:17.4 and fellow countryman Eleanor Fulton, who works full-time and is unsponsored, ran a significant personal best to finish third in 4:18.0.

Laura told Runnersworld.com: "This was my final race of the season, and it was tough, but I kept telling myself 200, then 100 metres to go to get to the finish line…I did everything I could to get it all out there."

The victory concludes a remarkable year for the 29-year-old, who won bronze in the 1,500-metre race at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon before capturing gold in the same event at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships.

It was also a double victory for the Brits, as Jake Wightman defended his title in 3:49.6 over countryman Jake Heyward (3:49.9) and American Sam Prakel (3:50.4).

This was Wightman’s third career triumph on Fifth Avenue, having won the title in 2018. His latest success rounds off a remarkable year for him, which included a surprising victory in the 1,500m at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

What is the Fifth Avenue Mile?

Set on Fifth Avenue, New York, the Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual 1 mile (1.6km) road event. This year it fell on September 11, 2022.

The race begins at 80th Street and proceeds south for 20 blocks to 60th Street. The race was first held on September 26, 1981 and is currently organised by New York Road Runners.

World-class runners compete in extra heats after the main age division heats in the tournament on a regular basis. The Fifth Avenue Mile has also spawned copycat events, such as the Anlene Orchard Mile in Singapore.

The fastest times in the event are Sydney Maree’s 3:47.52 triumph in the inaugural race and Simpson’s 4:16.2 mark in 2019, which has now been beaten by Muir.

Originally, the Fifth Avenue Mile was held in late September or early October. It was rescheduled to mid-September in 2014, near Patriot Day.

What is Laura Muir famous for?

A trained vet, Muir’s impressive records started when she broke double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes’ 12-year-old British 1500m record with a time of 3:55.22 and was also selected to represent Team GB in Rio.

The Scot then came in seventh in the 1500m at the Olympics, but she really came into the spotlight in 2017.

In Belgrade, she won the European indoor 1500m and 3000m titles, and she just missed a world outdoor medal in London by the narrowest of margins.

Muir’s dominance got a new boost in 201 after receiving a vet degree from the University of Glasgow, and winning gold in the 1500-metre race at the European Championships and the Diamond League final.

She also won silver and bronze at the World Indoor Championships before winning the 1500m and 3000m titles at the 2019 European Indoors in her home city of Glasgow. She then went to the Olympics and won silver, which was her biggest medal to date.