Nuguse, Morris lead American sweep at 44th New Balance 5th Avenue Mile
Road record 10 men sub-3:50 and record 19 women sub-4:30; more than 8,400 finishers under wet conditions
From NYRR
NEW YORK - New York Road Runners (NYRR), the nonprofit that “runs” New York City producing 60 annual adult and youth races including the TCS New York City Marathon, hosted more than 8,400 athletes at the 2025 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, the world’s most iconic and largest road Mile, on Sunday, September 7. The event, which has taken place since 1981, featured 30 heats of Mile races down Manhattan’s famed Fifth Avenue, stretching 20 blocks from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Grand Army Plaza.
Under wet conditions, the 44th edition concluded with Olympic medalist and North American Mile record holder Yared Nuguse and rising star Gracie Morris winning the professional races, becoming the first American duo to sweep since 2016.
In his New Balance 5th Avenue Mile debut, Nuguse, 26, pulled away from fellow Americans Parker Wolfe — the 2024 NCAA 5000m champion — and Drew Hunter — the 2025 NACAC Athletics Championships 5000m champion — in the final meters, breaking the tape in 3:47.7, the third-fastest time in event history. The first man to win his event debut since 2016, Nuguse led a competitive men’s field, with 23 athletes finishing in under 4 minutes, the most in New Balance 5th Avenue Mile and running history. In his first season as a professional athlete, Wolfe out-leaned Hunter at the line with both men running 3:48.1.
“I like the idea of racing a fun race,” said Nuguse. “I [did] want to win, I [did] want to come here and do everything I [could], but I want[ed] to have a really enjoyable [time] and I’ve heard that 5th Ave is a really fun vibe.”
After a fifth-place finish in 2024, Morris, 23, timed her finish kick perfectly to beat two-time Yakima Mile champion Kayley DeLay and defending champion Karissa Schweizer to win her first New Balance 5th Avenue Mile title in 4:15.5, also the third-fastest time in event history. Today’s victory marked Morris’s third-consecutive Mile victory in the last month, following her wins at the Sir Walter Mile and Guardian Mile in August. Delay and Schweizer were separated by 0.2 seconds, running 4:17.4 and 4:17.6, respectively.
“I've been a little bit [riskier] in my races and trying to put myself more towards the front — even in bigger fields that are kind of intimidating to me [and] just showing myself that I belong in them,” said Morris.
Overall, the strong professional fields, headlined by 10 Olympians, produced 23 men sub-4 (record, road or track), 10 men sub-3:50 (road record) and 19 women sub-4:30 (record, road or track).
Each race champion took home $5000 for their wins, and overall, the event awarded $34,000.
FIRST-EVER BROADWAY MILE
Among the more than 8,400 athletes who raced their way down Fifth Avenue were nearly 70 Broadway performers and theater professionals who took part in the first-ever Broadway Mile. The hit musical “Mamma Mia!” took home the trophy for Fastest Broadway Mile Team, with Jordan Litz of “Wicked”, Thomas Doelger of “The Book of Mormon” and Hannah McGrath of The Public Theater running the fastest men’s, nonbinary and women's Broadway Mile times of 5:13, 5:53 and 6:30, respectively.
ADDITIONAL SPECIALTY HEATS
The shortest race distance offered by New York Road Runners, the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile is an accessible event for both beginners and seasoned athletes. In addition to the professional races and Broadway Mile, other specialty heats included the Back to School Mile for kids ages 2 to 18, one of more than 20 free Rising New York Road Runners youth events produced by the nonprofit each year, the George Sheehan Memorial Mile for older adults, the NYRR Road Mile Championship races, the NYPD and FDNY heat for service members, the Media Mile for journalists and the NYRR Unlock 26.2 x New Balance heat for participants of the dedicated TCS New York City Marathon training program.
Complete race results here: https://results.nyrr.org/event/25FAM/finishers
CREDIT: New York Road Runners (NYRR)
