If I ran a 3:42 1500 can I tell people I’m a sub -4 miler?

Oh Please wrote:

Kenenisa Bekele is not a sub 4 minute miler. Sure, he ran 3:32 1500, a 4:50 2k (3:53 pace) and a 7:25 3k (3:59 pace), however he never ran a mile under 4.

Great points!

Since our OP did not break 4:00, all the potential in the world is meaningless. To even pretend that he was a sub-4 miler is utterly self-deceiving. Dude didn't do it, and never will do it. He was talented, but he wasn't in a mile race the day he ran 3:42 (and something -- unspecified apparently). Would he have crushed that additional stretch to the full mile distance and broken 4, or would he have died a laughable, embarrassing death in the homestretch? Nobody will ever know. The latter has been known to happen.

Of course not; every runner knows the answer to this question.

Bernard Lagat is not a low 3:40 miler.

Obviously he could have; he himself says he should have run the mile at Rome.

But he didn't.

I ran a 3:59 1500, and I tell everyone I'm a sub 4 miler--who cares?

A bit of a stretch wrote:

The days are over when I could try again. The races I did at the time were almost all 1500m with the exception of some indoor mile races (which may have been 1600 for all I know) at which I ran a best of 401.

So I’m left with this 1500 but the rest of the world asks about the mile.

Did anyone miss this? OP is out of contention for a do over.

If indeed you are past your prime to pull this off today, how long have you thought about this sub 4 debate. Also, I agree with everyone else. Until it's been accomplish it's hard to claim it as having done it. Just a side note, are we talking about a 1600m or an actual mile?

Have you run a Mile in under 4 minutes?

/thread

The original question: "If I ran a 3:42 1500 can I tell people I’m a sub -4 miler?"

One point of view is that you can say whatever you want. The choice is yours.

My situation: My official fastest mile tie is a 5:36 (8th grade). After that, I never competed in a mile race, as I chose other distances. In 10th grade gym class, I ran 5:11, but that was not an official race. Eleven years later, I ran 1500 in 4:24, and have had 1 mile splits in 5k and 10k XC races, but I do not count those as official as they were en route, and I cannot verify the accuracy of the split distance measurement.

So, my fastest official mile is 5:36. As you are, I am far past a point where I could make a go at a sub-5 mile (I think). I lose no sleep over that

Your situation...if you're asked, why not just say that you probably could have, and leave it at that? Your 3:42 1500 is excellent, and that should suffice. Congratulations on that achievement.

You could legitimately say you were a 4 minute miler.

In terms of the running caliber, yeah, you were a sub-4 miler. I don't understand the problem with saying that. Just like top 800 guys are sub 11 100m athletes. Doesn't mean they go to a meet and run a sub 11. But they are sub-11 100m athletes.

The answer is

No but Iran what most track fans consider the metric equivalent of it with 3:42 for 1500m.

Then explain the conversion idea to them----well at least until their eyes cross,& roll back the drool starts and they flop to the ground twitching.

Be proud that you are an accomplished runner-- nothing wrong with that.

ex-runner wrote:

3:42 is cutting it fine, you might not break 4 in a race.

The 4:00 minute mile equivalent based upon the commonly used 1.08 conversion is 3:42.2.

I think you need 3:41 low to make sure but 3:40 to be absolutely certain.

People forget you need to go through 1500m in 3:43 to break 4 for the mile. A 3:42 runner could easily turn up to a 1500m race and not run under 3:44 that day, for many reasons.

Also it depends what kind of runner you are. If your 800m is 1:47 you probably wouldn't break 4. If it's 1:50 you probably would.

Lol that last sentence is laughable

some random sub 4 guy wrote:

If he ran 4:50 for 2k, he most certainly has run a mile under 4 minutes.

not if he went 50-60-70-60-50

And OP yes you're a sub 4 miler. But who cares.

running commenter wrote:

ex-runner wrote:

3:42 is cutting it fine, you might not break 4 in a race.

The 4:00 minute mile equivalent based upon the commonly used 1.08 conversion is 3:42.2.

I think you need 3:41 low to make sure but 3:40 to be absolutely certain.

People forget you need to go through 1500m in 3:43 to break 4 for the mile. A 3:42 runner could easily turn up to a 1500m race and not run under 3:44 that day, for many reasons.

Also it depends what kind of runner you are. If your 800m is 1:47 you probably wouldn't break 4. If it's 1:50 you probably would.

Lol that last sentence is laughable

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