Pat sent me this story this morning, and I am excited to share his wonderful synopsis of the Metric Mile, happening in Paris in about one week!
The roll-call is legendary, featuring athletes like Paavo Nurmi, Jack Lovelock, Gundar Haegg, Arne Andersson, Roger Bannister, Herb Elliott, Peter Snell, Jim Ryun, Kip Keino, Filbert Bayi, John Walker, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, Steve Cram, Saïd Aouita, Noureddine Morceli, Hicham El Guerrouj, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen. Olympic champions or world record holders, some even both. Their specialty is the Mile and 1500 metres, the Metric Mile. While the event used to be the highlight of the Olympics, the focus shifted to the sprint with the rise of Carl Lewis and the infamous Ben Johnson, along with the attention-grabbing performances of Flo-Jo and Usain Bolt. But with Ingebrigtsen set to showcase his talent in Paris against Josh Kerr, the middle distance event is back in the spotlight.
