Mile News


A Select Group: Only 33 men have gone sub-4 and sub-2:10

October 08, 2023

Two-time Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge fastest official Mile-marathon combined time; six Americans: Brian Shrader, Martin Hehir, Galen Rupp, Alan Culpepper, Ken Martin & Greg Meyer members of rare club; Meyer the first member

By Bring Back the Mile

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated from the original September 2014 article with 20 sub-4 / sub-2:10 club members.

With the fall marathon season in full swing, it is a good time to present an exclusive group of runners, blessed with speed & endurance, who have broken two respected benchmarks: 4 minutes for the Mile and 2 hours, 10 minutes for the marathon; a group so select that only 33 men are club members. Two-time Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya (above, credit: NN Running Team) has the fastest official combined times: 2:04:59.40 (3:50.40 Mile and 2:01:09 marathon, world record, Berlin 2022).

Kenya has the most members with ten, and the United States, tied with Ethiopia, has six men – Brian Shrader, Martin Hehir, Galen Rupp, Alan Culpepper, Ken Martin and Greg Meyer – who have achieved this noteworthy milestone; in 1983, Meyer became the first member overall of this unique club. Rupp owns the fastest U.S. combo of 2:09:57.92 (3:50.92 and 2:06:07).

Below are the known 33 sub-4 / sub-2:10 men in fastest Mile PR order as of October 8, 2023:

FIRST LAST CTZ MILE YEAR MARATHON YEAR
Leonard Muchero Maina KEN 3:49.75 2001 2:08:53 2011
Eliud Kipchoge (best) KEN 3:50.40 2004 2:01:09 = WR 2022
Yenew Alamirew ETH 3:50.43 2011 2:08:56 2018
Suleiman Simotwo KEN 3:50.82 2005 2:08:49 2015
Galen Rupp (U.S. best) USA 3:50.92i 2013 2:06:07 2018
Suleiman Nyambui TAN 3:51.94 1981 2:09:52 1989
Haile Gebrselassie ETH 3:52.39 1999 2:03:59 = WR 2008
Hailu Mekonnen ETH 3:53.40 2000 2:07:35 2011
Rod Dixon NZL 3:53.62 1975 2:08:59 1983
Josphat Kiprono Menjo KEN 3:53.62 2010 2:09:34 2013
Zane Robertson NZL 3:53.72 2014 2:08:19 2019
Dawit Wolde ETH 3:54.02i 2016 2:04:27 2021
Geoffrey Rono KEN 3:54.37 2010 2:09:29 2016
Vincent Rousseau BEL 3:54.69 1985 2:07:20 1995
Cam Levins CAN 3:54.74i 2015 2:05:36 2023
Alan Culpepper USA 3:55.12 1998 2:09:41 2002
Geoff Smith GBR 3:55.80 1981 2:09:08 1983
Nicholas Kemboi KEN 3:56.19 2011 2:08:01 2011
Kenenisa Bekele ETH 3:56.2i+ 2007 2:03:03 2016
Mo Farah GBR 3:56.49 2005 2:05:11 2018
Benson Seurei BRN 3:56.78 2013 2:07:37 2018
Christoph Herle GER 3:57.52 1978 2:09:23 1985
Ken Martin USA 3:57.84 1981 2:09:38 1989
Robert Stefko SVK 3:58.20 1998 2:09:53 1998
Paul Tergat KEN 3:58.4+ 1996 2:04:55 = WR 2003
Brett Robinson AUS 3:58.5 2017 2:09:52 2022
Shem Kororia KEN 3:58.8+ 1996 2:09:32 1999
Greg Meyer (the first) USA 3:59.1i 1978 2:09:00 1983
Girma Bekele ETH 3:59.41 2013 2:08:38 2019
Brian Shrader (new) USA 3:59.41i 2018 2:09:46 2023
Vincent Rono KEN 3:59.63 2007 2:07:10 2019
Mbarak Hussein KEN 3:59.66 1991 2:08:10 2004
Martin Hehir USA 3:59.81i 2015 2:08:59 2020

+ = en route to longer race; i = indoors

SOURCE: Peter Larsson (SWE) and Bring Back the Mile

Send updates for review to: milemaniac@bringbackthemile.com

Tags: martin hehir (2) , kenenisa bekele (1) , ken martin (2) , haile gebrselassie (1) , greg meyer (1) , galen rupp (15) , eliud kipchoge (1) , brian shrader (1) , bbtm news (207) , alan culpepper (4)

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