On June 26, Olympian Faith Kipyegon will attempt to become the first woman to run a mile in under four minutes at Stade Charlety in Paris. Currently, she holds the women’s world record for the mile, set at 4:07.64 in 2023.
Emily Kraus, director of the Female Athlete Science and Translational Research (FASTR) Program at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, commented on the significance of Kipyegon’s endeavor. “Faith’s attempt sheds an incredible spotlight on women in sport and what’s truly possible,” said Kraus. She highlighted that women athletes’ health and performance have historically been understudied and undervalued.
Kraus explained that Kipyegon’s challenge could advance products, training, and scientific insights into women’s physiology. She also addressed various factors influencing running speed, such as aerobic power, lactate threshold, running economy, muscular input, thermoregulation, altitude, and technology.
Regarding record-breaking advancements in sports, Kraus noted improvements due to deeper talent pools, sophisticated training techniques like altitude camps and individualized nutrition, technological advancements like carbon-plated shoes and laser pacing lights, and data-driven coaching methods.
When asked about shaving eight seconds off her world record time being “pretty easy,” Kraus emphasized that reducing her time from 4:07.64 to 3:59.99 represents a 3.2% improvement—challenging given that elite athletes typically achieve year-to-year gains of less than 1%.
Kraus also addressed why no woman has yet run a sub-four-minute mile. She pointed out the participation gap in women’s middle-distance running and physiological differences affecting oxygen consumption during exercise compared to men.
Kraus is a clinical assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Stanford School of Medicine and a member of both the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance and the Maternal & Child Health Research Institute.
