Longest sub five streak

i'm sitting at 8 years in a row.

i would bet people have done 30-40

considering that there has been someone break 4 minutes while over the age of 40... 5 minutes is not fast. im sure many people have gone 40 years

I find it hard to believe that anyone has run a DOCUMENTED sub five every year for forty years. Even thirty years I would bet against it.

Olympian Steve Spence has broken 5:00 in the mile since 14 i believe, he is now 45 so that is 31 years. and I dont see it stopping any times soon. its not that difficult thing to do. if you were a great runner at one time. you just have to keep up your fitness in diet and sub 5 isnt hard at 50.

I've got 24, with a 4:50 last year. Almost every one of those years also has a sub 10 2 mile as well.

How many guys at the nationals in Boston this year over fifty broke five minutes? Just five and if you go up one age group (55-59) you will find just one person (world record holder Nolan Shaheed) that broke five. It ain't that easy my friend.

If you were a betting man would you bet your streak can continue for 16 more years? How old are you?

I would say that the odds of continuing another 16 years (36 now) would be about 50/50 so I might bet on it. I have no real injuries and I don't train that much (1000 miles per year)so it's not like I'm beating myself up.

Great job if you can do it. Compute the aging process formula from your current mile time and let me know where that computes your mile time in 16 years.

Currently at 14 years and counting. Age 27.

Ok, then I pose a greater challenge for those up to it...how many DAYS in a row can you break 5?

or how about the most sub 5 minute miles consecutively. Has anyone ever done more than 26.2?

Dude with a crystal ball wrote:

or how about the most sub 5 minute miles consecutively. Has anyone ever done more than 26.2?

I'm just talking about a challenge for the mere mortals here...not the elites here.

pablo wrote:

Ok, then I pose a greater challenge for those up to it...how many DAYS in a row can you break 5?

Amazing challenge. My guess is about 100 days.

better question: what is the longest distance someone has stayed on 5 minute pace? 6 minute? etc.

Not me, but someone has stayed on 6:00 minute pace for at least 50 miles. Check usatf.com for the records and do the paces.

I broke 5 minutes for a mile every year from 1967 to 1999, but I can't be sure I ran an official mile race every year for 32 years. I'm not going to look. I would not be surprised to find someone at 40 years.

Somebody ask Thom Hunt? Duncan McDonald?

Tom

I ran sub-five in a mile race every year from 1970 - 1991 which included a 24 hour Relay in 1979 where I averaged sub-five for 29 carries. On limited mileage, with no speed work, in my late 30s I eventually failed and then I moved to a town without a track and didn't even essay a mile for four years. It does get tougher.

I don't know the specifics, but I am pretty sure Dyrol Burleson ran pretty fast until he was fairly old. I am not sure if he did many races, but I remember hearing he would run 5 miles at sub-5 pace on his birthday. Again, I don't know how many years this continued, maybe someone else knows more.