Mile News


Teen Runner with Autism Shatters 4:00 Mile Barrier

August 09, 2016

Mikey Brannigan sets a Paralympic world record for the T20 classification.

By Alison Wade, Runner's World

At the Sir Walter Miler meet on Friday, August 5 in Raleigh, North Carolina, 19-year-old Mikey Brannigan finished seventh in the Mile, clocking 3:57.58 to smash his previous personal record by more than 5 seconds. In doing so, Brannigan, who is on the autism spectrum, became the first person with a T20 paralympic classification, which refers to intellectual disability, to break the 4:00 barrier.

Brannigan, who is from Northport, New York, will compete in the 1500 meters at the Paralympic Games next month in Rio, where he’s the favorite to win the gold. Last October, Brannigan, then 18, won the T20 1500 meters at the International Paralympic Committee World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, upsetting Peyman Nasiri Bazanjani of Iran by 0.03 seconds.

At last month’s U.S. Paralympic Trials, Brannigan won the 1500 in a new T20 world record of 3:50.05 and won his race by more than 40 seconds.

Continue reading at: www.runnersworld.com

Tags: u.s. paralympic trials (2) , sir walter miler (33) , paralympic games (4) , my first sub-4 (58) , mikey brannigan (10)

Facebook Comments

Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

Become a Mile Maniac member or a BBTM sponsor today! Join us, and go Mile!

Join Us

Thanks for joining the movement and being a Mile Maniac. We'll keep you up to-date with our Mile wires as well as exclusive contests and opportunities. Help us spread the word by sharing our site and joining us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!