I can’t even comprehend how fast that is. Great list!
Brannen ran a 3:55.07 in Toronto, June 11, 2009. Milne was second in 3:56.54 and Benninger fifth in 3:57.18.
That would be three guys faster than Mike Woods’s 3:57.48 and last time I checked Toronto was Canadian soil. Thanks Tom!
I don’t see Grant McLaren’s name and time of 3:59.0 from 1972 in Toronto?
Thanks Rick! I see Grant McLaren’s time on the Athletics Canada All-Time list now so I’m not sure how I missed it (unless it was also subsequently updated). AC has him down as running 3:59.0 in Toronto on July 29, 1972. I found his name on a Trackie forum thread credited with a 3:59.0 in Eugene, OR from July 10, 1972, though I couldn’t confirm it elsewhere. The University of Oregon was hosting the US Olympic Trials at that time so unless there was an all-comers mile event, the July 10 time must have been a mistake. Until I hear otherwise, I’ll go with McLaren’s Toronto time as his first sub-4.
You have Thomas Riva as the most recent addition. But on that same day, two other Canadians Adam Palamar and Keffri Neal also broke 4min. That day actually saw 35 men worldwide run sub 4 min miles worldwide in 4 different locations!
Thanks for that Craig! What a great day for Canadian milers. It would appear that Neal and Palamar would have run their miles earlier than Riva, so I have updated the list accordingly.
I was two+ years younger than Dave Bailey when I raced in an open mile race with him at Northview HS in 1962. I saw him finish first, just as I hit the top of the last straight. Best run I ever had. Damn he was quick! Great fun and great memory!
What an awesome list. Thanks for compiling it.
Not sure when the last time this list was updated but I know Foster Malleck broke 4 minutes this indoor season on the BU track. I hope you keep up with this list, it’s awesome!
Forgotten no more. Is that you, Ross? You’ll have to let Athletics Canada know. AC lists a PB of 4:00:68 (indoor, South Bend, Feb 7, 2015) and 2014 season best 4:01:83 (Ghent, Jul 21, 2014).
Thanks Vincent! Athletics Canada didn’t have Foster listed on their 2023 rankings when I updated the list. I found the meet, the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational (http://live.lancertiming.com/meets/84/events/12/Final). I’ve added Foster and updated the order of the three guys who broke 4:00 for the first time at that meet based on the order of their heats (Dannett heat 2, Malleck heat 4, Purnell heat 6).
It is worth noting that Marc Olesen was in high school when he ran the sub 4. the first high schooler to do so in Canada.
I thought that both Bruce Kidd and Bill Crothers would be on your list, having watched them at CNE Stadium in 1960 run the 1/4 mile cinder track not-so-affectionately described as “beach sand”.
Kidd ran 4:01.4 and Crothers 4:07 to an appreciative, noisy crowd.
Had they been on any modern surface I’m sure Kidd would have made it with ease.
And now Max Davies
Kelly Britz? Is that the same Kelly Britz that attended Jesuit HS in Portland, Oregon. Was he Canadian at the time? He ran a 4:08.0 (presumed hand time) mile at an unknown meet/location/exact date in 1976. I later see a Britz that perhaps attended Oregon from 1976-1982. Not sure if he competed. But I also have a 1979 NCAA Cross Country result of a Kelly Britz finishing 154th for Florida.
Are there two Kelly Britz runners. Any info on this runners history would be appreciated
Britz 152nd, not 154th at that NCAA XC Meet
Hey Jim!
I admit I knew nothing about Kelly Britz until this morning, but I love a good mystery. It would be wild if there were two Kelly Britzes competing in the same distances at the same level at the same time, but it’s also kind of wild that all these results are from the same guy.
The Kelly Britz on my mile list has a World Athletics profile which lists him as born 29 March 1958 with a mile PR of 3:58.46 from 18 July 1984. He won a silver medal in the 800m in 1:51.8 running for BC at the Canadian Championships, when he was 19, a year before a Kelly Britz ran a then school record 1:51.2 in the 800m for Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR, just outside of Portland. Confirmed-Canadian Kelly Britz ran multiple sub-4 miles in 1983 and 1984 and won bronze and silver in the 1500m at the 1984 and 1986 Canadian Championships, while a not-yet-confirmed-by-me-Canadian Kelly Britz ran a 3:58.55 to finish third in the mile at the 1986 Oregon Twilight Meet. It seems too coincidental that these wouldn’t be the same Kelly Britz, but at the moment, I can’t confirm one way or the other.
If it is the same Kelly Britz, he wouldn’t be the only Canadian to have come out of Oregon. Two-time Olympic marathoner, Art Boileau, was born in Edmonton but attended Lincoln High School in Portland as well as the University of Oregon around the same time. Hmmm… I’ll drop Art a line and ask him if knew Kelly. Thanks!
Please note that Kevin A Robertson who runs for SLS (born 2001) is not the same Kevin Robertson (born 1998). He ran 3:58.98 last night and it would be great if he could be added to the list. Just typing this email makes me wonder if any other country has two active runners with the same name that have broken 4. I wonder…
Thanks for confirming that, Gary. Looks like it must have been an amazing race. Nine Canadians under four minutes!
Great list. Really enjoyed reading it. I recognized quite a few names. Excellent work on your part. Congratulations to you on taking the time to do this. Thank you!!!
I can’t even comprehend how fast that is. Great list!
Brannen ran a 3:55.07 in Toronto, June 11, 2009. Milne was second in 3:56.54 and Benninger fifth in 3:57.18.
That would be three guys faster than Mike Woods’s 3:57.48 and last time I checked Toronto was Canadian soil. Thanks Tom!
I don’t see Grant McLaren’s name and time of 3:59.0 from 1972 in Toronto?
Thanks Rick! I see Grant McLaren’s time on the Athletics Canada All-Time list now so I’m not sure how I missed it (unless it was also subsequently updated). AC has him down as running 3:59.0 in Toronto on July 29, 1972. I found his name on a Trackie forum thread credited with a 3:59.0 in Eugene, OR from July 10, 1972, though I couldn’t confirm it elsewhere. The University of Oregon was hosting the US Olympic Trials at that time so unless there was an all-comers mile event, the July 10 time must have been a mistake. Until I hear otherwise, I’ll go with McLaren’s Toronto time as his first sub-4.
You have Thomas Riva as the most recent addition. But on that same day, two other Canadians Adam Palamar and Keffri Neal also broke 4min. That day actually saw 35 men worldwide run sub 4 min miles worldwide in 4 different locations!
http://www.flotrack.org/coverage/251948-Track-Season-on-Flotrack-2015/article/29908-36-Sub-4s-In-One-Day#.VQbjpHW99CV
correction – 36 men
Thanks for that Craig! What a great day for Canadian milers. It would appear that Neal and Palamar would have run their miles earlier than Riva, so I have updated the list accordingly.
I was two+ years younger than Dave Bailey when I raced in an open mile race with him at Northview HS in 1962. I saw him finish first, just as I hit the top of the last straight. Best run I ever had. Damn he was quick! Great fun and great memory!
What an awesome list. Thanks for compiling it.
Not sure when the last time this list was updated but I know Foster Malleck broke 4 minutes this indoor season on the BU track. I hope you keep up with this list, it’s awesome!
Forgotten : (
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/ross-proudfoot-14386389
Forgotten no more. Is that you, Ross? You’ll have to let Athletics Canada know. AC lists a PB of 4:00:68 (indoor, South Bend, Feb 7, 2015) and 2014 season best 4:01:83 (Ghent, Jul 21, 2014).
Thanks Vincent! Athletics Canada didn’t have Foster listed on their 2023 rankings when I updated the list. I found the meet, the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational (http://live.lancertiming.com/meets/84/events/12/Final). I’ve added Foster and updated the order of the three guys who broke 4:00 for the first time at that meet based on the order of their heats (Dannett heat 2, Malleck heat 4, Purnell heat 6).
It is worth noting that Marc Olesen was in high school when he ran the sub 4. the first high schooler to do so in Canada.
I thought that both Bruce Kidd and Bill Crothers would be on your list, having watched them at CNE Stadium in 1960 run the 1/4 mile cinder track not-so-affectionately described as “beach sand”.
Kidd ran 4:01.4 and Crothers 4:07 to an appreciative, noisy crowd.
Had they been on any modern surface I’m sure Kidd would have made it with ease.
And now Max Davies
Kelly Britz? Is that the same Kelly Britz that attended Jesuit HS in Portland, Oregon. Was he Canadian at the time? He ran a 4:08.0 (presumed hand time) mile at an unknown meet/location/exact date in 1976. I later see a Britz that perhaps attended Oregon from 1976-1982. Not sure if he competed. But I also have a 1979 NCAA Cross Country result of a Kelly Britz finishing 154th for Florida.
Are there two Kelly Britz runners. Any info on this runners history would be appreciated
Britz 152nd, not 154th at that NCAA XC Meet
Hey Jim!
I admit I knew nothing about Kelly Britz until this morning, but I love a good mystery. It would be wild if there were two Kelly Britzes competing in the same distances at the same level at the same time, but it’s also kind of wild that all these results are from the same guy.
The Kelly Britz on my mile list has aWorld Athletics profile which lists him as born 29 March 1958 with a mile PR of 3:58.46 from 18 July 1984. He won a silver medal in the 800m in 1:51.8 running for BC at the Canadian Championships, when he was 19, a year before a Kelly Britz ran a then school record 1:51.2 in the 800m for Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR, just outside of Portland. Confirmed-Canadian Kelly Britz ran multiple sub-4 miles in 1983 and 1984 and won bronze and silver in the 1500m at the 1984 and 1986 Canadian Championships, while a not-yet-confirmed-by-me-Canadian Kelly Britz ran a 3:58.55 to finish third in the mile at the 1986 Oregon Twilight Meet. It seems too coincidental that these wouldn’t be the same Kelly Britz, but at the moment, I can’t confirm one way or the other.
If it is the same Kelly Britz, he wouldn’t be the only Canadian to have come out of Oregon. Two-time Olympic marathoner, Art Boileau, was born in Edmonton but attended Lincoln High School in Portland as well as the University of Oregon around the same time. Hmmm… I’ll drop Art a line and ask him if knew Kelly. Thanks!
Please note that Kevin A Robertson who runs for SLS (born 2001) is not the same Kevin Robertson (born 1998). He ran 3:58.98 last night and it would be great if he could be added to the list. Just typing this email makes me wonder if any other country has two active runners with the same name that have broken 4. I wonder…
Thanks for confirming that, Gary. Looks like it must have been an amazing race. Nine Canadians under four minutes!
Great list. Really enjoyed reading it. I recognized quite a few names. Excellent work on your part. Congratulations to you on taking the time to do this. Thank you!!!
Correction: Jude Wheeler-Dee 🙂
Corrected. Thanks!