Josh Kerr dominated the field at the 5th Avenue Mile on Sunday, breaking the 43-year-old course record for his second straight win.
Kerr cruised to the finish line in 3:44.3 in breezy conditions, shattering Sydney Maree’s 3:47.52 mark from 1981.
Josh Hoey came in second in 3:48.9 with Amon Kemboi in third with 3:49.3 for the men.
“I knew no one’s going to get better conditions than a tail wind and a sunny day in New York,” Kerr said.
He added, “I’m fit and healthy. I was really looking forward to this race and it makes a big difference coming into these things.”
Kerr has been busy as of late and ran the 5th Avenue Mile only three days after a first place finish in the 1,500m at the Diamond League meet in Zurich. He also took silver in the event at the Paris Olympics in August.
The race started out with a quick pace as Eric Holt surged to the early lead through the first 400m. Cathal Doyle battled with Holt for front position as Kerr surged with a decisive move to pass them both as Hobbs Kessler chased. At the final 400m, Kerr opened a sizable advantage as the battle for the runner up was up for grabs with Hoey leaning in for second place.
“It’s the end of the season,” Kerr said. “It’s very difficult to figure out kinda who the players are and everyone has dealt with different things all year. People are coming here for different reasons. I was coming here to break the course record.”
In the women’s race Karissa Schweizer powered her way to the victory in 4:14.8 and matching Laura Muir’s 2022 course record. Dorcas Ewoi was second in 4:17.3, while Susan Ejore took third in 4:19.
“I feel like I’ve been getting momentum going as the season’s been ending,” Schweizer said. “It’s been fun to race and not have pressure headed into these races. Even the night before, I was like ‘maybe I can win this thing’. I tried to speak it into existence.”
Emily Mackay emerged from the pack and took the early lead as Schweizer stayed close and matched her stride. Whittni Morgan pushed ahead briefly through 600m as Ejore took her turn at the front of the field at the half way point.
But Schweizer grabbed first position as Ewoi made a move to surge ahead at the 1,200m mark. Ewoi looked to be in control with 200m remaining, but Schweizer’s kick in the final moments secured her the win.
“The start kind of made me nervous but everyone told me it goes out really fast,” Schweizer said. “But I tried to build momentum on the second quarter because I knew people were going to slow a bit with the uphill, and then I coasted in.”
With the final Diamond League meet this week in Brussels, the 5th Avenue Mile likely marks the end of the season for most of the competitors in Sunday’s race.
Official 5th Avenue Mile results:
Men’s elite field:
1. Josh Kerr (Great Britain) – 3:44.3
2. Josh Hoey (USA) – 3:48.9
3. Amon Kemboi (Kenya) – 3:49.3
4. Vincent Ciattei (USA) – 3:50.6
5. Robert Farken (Germany) – 3:51.9
6. Casey Comber (USA) – 3:52.0
7. Romain Mornet (France) – 3:52.1
8. Cathal Doyle (Ireland) – 3:53.0
9. Hobbs Kessler (USA) – 3:53.2
10. Thomas Keen (Great Britain) – 3:54.0
Women’s elite field:
1. Karissa Schweizer (USA) – 4:14.8
2. Dorcas Ewoi (Kenya) – 4:17.3
3. Susan Ejore (Kenya) – 4:19.0
4. Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Great Britain) – 4:19.9
5. Gracie Morris (USA) – 4:20.4
6. Sarah Healy (Ireland) – 4:21.0
7. Emily Mackay (USA) – 4:22.1
8. Esther Guerrero (Spain) – 4:23.0
9. Whittni Morgan (USA) – 4:23.2
10. Josette Andrews (USA) – 4:26.0
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