A new event at the Drake Relays is designed to promote fitness and attract world class competition. The Grand Blue Mile street race will be held on April 20th. Three time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton says they are trying to get the public more involved in the Drake Relays so they can be out there and run the athletes.
Favor-Hamilton says she will run in the Blue Mile. She says the mile has always been one of track and field’s premier events. Favor-Hamilton says that’s the race that even elementary kids know, because it is four laps around the track and people still jog or walk a mile and it is something that is attainable by everyone.
Steve Scott ran the first sub four minute mile at the Drake Relays and has run under four minutes a record 136 times. That time still remains the standard. Scott says everyone can run a mile and find out how close they came to the magic barrier of the four minute mile. He says people are still impressed by a four minute mile.
Scott says even though the world record for the mile is just over three minutes, 43 seconds, four minutes is still viewed as a barrier. He says a four minute mile is still a very difficult time to achieve and there are still not many people every year who can break that barrier.