National records tumble at Wanamaker Mile

Saturday in Washington Heights, four female runners from four different nations came together to decide one thing – their national records were going down. In an Olympic year, those women put together Olympic-worthy performances.

The first four places of the women’s Wanamaker Mile set national records at the 113th running of the Millrose Games at the Armory in Manhattan. American Elle Purrier won in four minutes, 16.85 seconds, breaking Mary Tabb’s indoor record of 4:20.5, set in 1982. Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen was second in 4:17.26 and broke her own national record of 4:19.98, set at last year’s Millrose Games.

“I’m still trying to grasp it,” Purrier,24, said. “I’m just so surprised. There’s just a lot of emotions, but I’m just really happy and excited…This was only my second race indoors so far [this season], so I really wasn’t sure of my fitness. My race two weeks ago went well, but I haven’t really been running the mile or the 1,500 as much, so I really wasn’t sure.”

Third-place Jemma Reekie of Great Britain (4:17.88) and fourth place Gabriela Debues-Stafford of Canada (4:19.73), also got in on the record-breaking fun. Reekie broke Laura Muir’s record of 4:18.75, set last year and Debues-Stafford broke her own record of 4:24.80, set last year.    

Purrier said she didn’t even know what the American record was when she toed the starting line.

“I ran a pretty similar time on the road, so I knew I could do it then,” Purrier said. “But, doing it on the track is totally different. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about the American record at all before right now…I wasn’t looking at the splits. I heard a few things here and there, but I was just focused on competing.”

Klosterhalfen, 22, said she was happy with her time. But, of course, the afternoon would have been better with one other small detailed added.

“…Winning would have been better,” she said. “But, at this time, I’m seeing improvement and am making the right progress…I didn’t expect [Purrier] to pass me in the last meters. But, I’m happy for her and am happy with my time.”

On the men’s side, Great Britain’s Chris O’Hare won the men’s Wanamaker Mile in 3:55.61. O’Hare, who won the Wanamaker in 2018, had a comfortable lead on the final straightaway. Australia’s Olli Hoare was second in 3:56.47.  O’Hare made a move at the bell to gain the advantage he would need to carry it home.

“It was somewhat important, but it wasn’t a do-or-die part of the game plan,” said O’Hare, 29, of capturing the lead when he did.  “It was more about feeling the cadence slip just a little bit…..It was just kind of auto-pilot to go for it.”

O’Hare said he’s been battling a cold, and other small issues, for most of the winter.

“Having two children, you’re pretty much in a constant state of sickness,” he said. “You get them over one sickness, they go to daycare for one day, and they come home with a whole different virus.”  

O’Hare is coming off a 2019 season that just never got going thanks to small injuries and setbacks that never really went away.

“It just seemed to be one thing after another last year,” he said. “It was really quite difficult emotionally. It gave me a more mature outlook on this year, to just do my thing and run as hard as I can when I can.”

Elsewhere, American Donavan Brazier broke his own national 800 meters record and won in 1:44.22. He ran 1:44.41 at the Millrose Games last year.

Holtsville native and current Marist racewalker Lauren Harris placed second in the mile racewalk in 6:39.81. Ohio’s Taylor Ewert won in 6:34.53 and Olympian and Nesconset native Maria Michta-Coffey was fifth in 6:59.43.