How many years in a row has Nick Willis gone sub 4?

Confusedgi wrote:

Cottonshirt wrote:

here is a list of every man I know of with a streak of more than 10 years...

Confused. I thought the question was about Nick Willis, not about anyone who ever had a long sub 4 streak.

Life must be difficult for you to have such limiting sensitivity. Were you, for example, to hear a question about today's weather and someone answered with information about today's weather while also providing information about yesterday's or tomorrow's weather, you might be very confused.

Wow, that list is impressive. Also, I did not know John Walker went 7 years between sub-3:50 miles. Way to keep at it.

Ryan Gregson is at 10 years right now (2009-2018) but looks set to extend that a few years if he stays healthy and keeps racing the mile.

I want to correct a mistake. I said that Garrett Heath was the lead among current US milers and that is not correct. he was on 7-years but did not go sub-4 in 2017 and is therefore currently on 1-year. Jack Bolas is on 8-years (2010 - 2017) but has not yet gone sub-4 in 2018 so his streak looks to be ending and the new US lead is Matthew Centrowitz on 7-years (2012 - 2018). he would be on 10-years but missed 2011. Colby Alexander and Kyle Merber are both on 5-years. internationally, other than Nick Willis (16-years) and the Australian Ryan Gregson (10-years) mentioned by runthecountry, the next highest appears to be Chris O'Hare (GBR) who is currently on 8-years (2011 - 2018).

and, another fun fact for fans of sub-4 miles - there have been more sub-4 miles run in 2018 than in any previous year in history. until this year, the highest number of sub-4 miles this century was 186 miles in 2013; the last time the number went over 200 was in 1986 which saw 202 sub-4 miles; and the most ever was in 1985 when there were 210 sub-4 miles. so far this year there have been 224 sub-miles. way to go!

and, coincidentally, the record breaker, the man who ran the 211th sub-4 mile this year was Nick Willis, running 3:57.6 for 5th place in the Emsley Carr Mile at Birmingham.

cheers.

Leo Manzano would have ten years, but for three seasons where he ran 4:00.04-4:00.75

Nick W has zero sub 3:50 miles.

But a sub 3:30 1500m and two Olympic 1500m medals, something many on the sub 3:50 list don’t have.

Chron dot wrote:

Nick W has zero sub 3:50 miles.

3:49.83

Jeff Wigand wrote:

Chron dot wrote:

Nick W has zero sub 3:50 miles.

3:49.83

Would love to see Nick break the record for time between sub-3:50s! Looks like Walker did it for 3 straight years, but Scott had marks 6 years apart. A new NZ mile record in 2020 would be a nice touch!

You know what would make this list even more interesting? If the 1500m equivalent of sub 4 was adding to this analysis. So like sub-3:42 1500m to make it easy. The sub-4 streak is dominated by runners from the Commonwealth and the USA, for obvious reasons. Add in a sub-3:42 1500m streak (or maybe even sub-3:40, just to be safe), and this list gets more interesting.

Somebody like Abdelaati Iguider, who has been on the scene for awhile, would have a streak of 15 years and counting.

Lagat would have a streak from 1998 to 2013.

Maybe the guys at the top of the sub-4 mile list earn another year or two on their streak.

Fvyvgyvgv wrote:

So Willis ran 4:01 in Jan 2001 and did not run sub 4 until 2004? It doesn't sound right.

It took him a while to figure out how to run well in College.

running commenter wrote:

Fvyvgyvgv wrote:

So Willis ran 4:01 in Jan 2001 and did not run sub 4 until 2004? It doesn't sound right.

It took him a while to figure out how to run well in College.

For sure. It took him all the way to January of his freshman year.

Of course it's a stretch compared to the other four legends in question, but just for curiosity:

Lagat would have 19 years if you count his 4:54 2000m in 2014 as a "sub-4" (no 1500m or mile races in 2014). 1997-2015 including 1500m races and the 2014 2000m.

Does anyone else consider the de facto gold medalist from Beijing 2008?

Papa G wrote:

Of course it's a stretch compared to the other four legends in question, but just for curiosity:

Lagat would have 19 years if you count his 4:54 2000m in 2014 as a "sub-4" (no 1500m or mile races in 2014). 1997-2015 including 1500m races and the 2014 2000m.

He didn’t race a mile in 2013, the 1st sub 4 was in 1999, so 14 seasons, still extremely good. His 6 seasons of sub 13 5ks is also impressive.

Tfhtfyttyf wrote:

running commenter wrote:

It took him a while to figure out how to run well in College.

For sure. It took him all the way to January of his freshman year.

That being said, he did finish 28th at NCAA XC in the fall of his freshman year. It's not amazing, but he was ahead of Bairu, Ryan Hall...

So maybe it did not take him until January to "figure out" how to run well.

Burnsy wrote:

Jeff Wigand wrote:

3:49.83

Would love to see Nick break the record for time between sub-3:50s! Looks like Walker did it for 3 straight years, but Scott had marks 6 years apart. A new NZ mile record in 2020 would be a nice touch!

Not sure why the list on the first page is missing this, but Walker also ran 3:49.4 for a world record in 1975. By the time he ran his PR of 3:49.08 in 1982, the world record had been lowered to 3:47.33 - I wonder how many world record holders end up having a lifetime PR that isn't their world record run! I know Wilson Kipsang has done it in the marathon, and Bannister did it in the mile - there are likely a number of others as well.

Would still be neat to see Willis go under 3:50 again, whenever it happens!

Also, both Willis and Iguider have a crazy number of years at sub-3:36 for 1500. Since 2004 Iguider has gone under 3:36 every year, and Willis is only missing 2009, when I don't think he had an outdoor season (though he did run a 3:53 mile indoors that year).

I have a tough time believing Iguider was only 17 when he ran 3:35 in 2004.

https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/morocco/abdelaati-iguider-201943

Subway Surfers wrote:

Papa G wrote:

Of course it's a stretch compared to the other four legends in question, but just for curiosity:

Lagat would have 19 years if you count his 4:54 2000m in 2014 as a "sub-4" (no 1500m or mile races in 2014). 1997-2015 including 1500m races and the 2014 2000m.

He didn’t race a mile in 2013, the 1st sub 4 was in 1999, so 14 seasons, still extremely good. His 6 seasons of sub 13 5ks is also impressive.

Wait, now I'm confused. I thought this post was about sub-4 miles, not sub-13 5ks

runthecountry wrote: Not sure why the list on the first page is missing this, but Walker also ran 3:49.4 for a world record in 1975. By the time he ran his PR of 3:49.08 in 1982, the world record had been lowered to 3:47.33 - I wonder how many world record holders end up having a lifetime PR that isn't their world record run! I know Wilson Kipsang has done it in the marathon, and Bannister did it in the mile - there are likely a number of others as well.

there are obviously examples of WR holders with lifetime pr's faster than their own WR. Gunder Hägg (SWE) set WR of 4:06.2 and 4:04.6 but had a lifetime pr of 4:01.4 which was his own WR set in Malmo on 17 Jul 1945. and Arne Andersson (SWE) set WR of 4:06.2 and 4:02.6 but had a lifetime pr of 4:01.6 which was again his own WR set at Malmo 18 Jul 1944. Jim Ryun, Peter Snell and Sebastian Coe all fall into the same club, having each set more than one WR at the mile. but, at the mile, the only examples I can find of WR holders with superior lifetime pr's that were not WR are the two you mention, Roger Bannister and John Walker.

Roger Bannister (GBR) WR 3:59.4 06 May 1954 Oxford, pr 3:58.8 Vancouver 07 Aug 1954

John Walker (NZL) WR 3:49.4 12 Aug 1975 Gothenburg, pr 3:49.08 Oslo 07 Jul 1982.

cheers.