An Olympian Ran the World's First Sub-4 Minute Mile in Nike's Vaporflys

Two-time Olympic runner Nick Symmonds might not be competing in the Games any more, but he still finds plenty of opportunities to keep pushing his performance, whether it’s trying to emulate Eliud Kipchoge’s mind-blowing 1 hour 59 marathon pace, or trying not to hurl while running with a stomach full of Big Macs.

In his latest video, Symmonds sets himself the challenge of getting back under a 4 minute mile. His personal best is 3 minutes 56 seconds, and he aims to hit that time again (or do better) with the help of a pair of Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%.

These controversial “magic shoes” have been reportedly helping marathon runners improve their times, maximizing running economy thanks to a V-shaped design, and a carbon fiber plate in the sole, which some people are saying provides a mechanical advantage for runners.

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The exact legality of wearing these shoes in competitions is currently being debated, but for now they’re still allowed, and so Symmonds dons a pair, warms up on the track, and then takes his run on the road. The Vaporflys are, after all, designed for closed course marathon running.

“For me to run my fastest mile, when I’ve run my fastest miles in the past, I’ve ultimately tried to run as evenly as possible throughout the entire thing,” Symmonds explains, adding that his goal is to take just under 30 seconds for each 200 meter segment of the run.

By the time he reaches the halfway point, however, his heart rate is over 200 beats per minute, making the second half much harder. Luckily, he has a slight cheat: around 250 feet of the section of highway he chose give him a “pretty generous downhill.” While that in itself would usually bring up issues for a runner, Symmonds reports that the shoes mitigate the strain on his shins: “The Vaporflys are performing so well, there’s so much cushion, that I’m just using my big quads to power through, power downhill, catch myself falling.”

And voilà, Symmonds breaks his PB and completes the mile in 3 minutes 54 seconds.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” he says. “Oh my god, that hurt. I had to dig deep to do it.”

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