By 1958 U.S. High School Record for two-miles was 9:21.4 and only 3 preps had ran under 9:40.

In the Fall of 1963 - 9:10 was broken.

Anatomy of the U.S. High School Two-Mile Record...

Dec. 7, '63

Mike Ryan (Wilcox HS), a junior, establishes a new Nat'l mark of 9:09.8 at the 2M postal in Woodside CA.

Dec. 27, '63

San Francisco, CA Indoors Gerry Lindgren (Rogers HS) demolishes all recorded prep 2M marks either indoors or outdoors -9:00.0.

1/18/64-L.A. CA In his second attempt on the boards -8:46.0n -O (2nd place)!!

Feb. 15, '64 -8:40.0n -O (2nd place)!!

A 9:24 prep two-miler last spring Lindgren, a 5'5" 118 pound senior, moves outdoors:

4/17/64 -Lindgren becomes the first prep to break 9M for 2M- 8:56.5 (Duel Meet).

6/5/64 -lowers NR to 8:53.6n -O (enroute to 5k in Compton Invite, 4th place with a 13.44.0m). Represented the US at Tokyo Olympics (10k)!!

May 28, '66

Washington State track meet: Rick Riley (Ferris, WA) becomes the new Prep Outdoor record holder with 8:48.4 (Above, with Lindgren cheering him on). Riley was 9:11.2 for 2M as a junior.

April 25, 1969 Corvalles, Oregon state track championship

Steve Prefontaine (Marshfield, OR) took his two mile time from 9:01 to a NR of 8:41.6 in one season. Errr... one race!!

June 9, 1973 Mt. Prospect, IL -International Prep Inv. Craig Virgin (Lebanon) races 8:40.9 HSR!!

Virgin became the first prep soph to crack 9:00 in 2M with 8:57.4 in '71.

Feb. 16, 1979 Jack in the Box meet - Indoor -8th with 2 laps to go Nelson's kick carries him to 6th place -his 8:42.7n -O is the 2nd-fastest indoor time behind only Lindgren!!

May 6, 1979 UCLA Pepsi Inv. @ Westwood.

6th at the bell, Jeff Nelson (Burbank) rips a 61.4 final lap giving him 3rd place and the record 8:36.3n -O for a full 2 miles!!

June 20, 2008 - Nike Outdoor Nat'l

German Fernandez (Riverbank, CA) sets a new prep record of 8:34.40 for 2 Miles!!

Mike Ryan (Wilcox) winner of the Nat'l two-mile postal in '63 in 9:09.8 -a short lived US prep record. -Next year...

Nov 7th '64 @ Stanford - Nat'l Two-Mile Postal: Ryan becomes the 2nd prep to break 9 minutes with his 8:57.8 in becoming a repeat winner among the individuals. (Dec. 4, ran 8:58.9).

As a Jr, Ryan was the CA state mile champion ('64) with a 4:11.2!

Mile - US Prep Record Progression

High School Only - Participants

4:23.6  +Ed Shields (Mercersburg, PA)............................1916 
4:22.2  Bill Cox (Edison Tech, NY).......Chicago Interschool...6/6/25
4:21.2  Louie Zamperini (Torrance, CA)...So Section...........5/19/34 
4:21.0  Bob Seaman (Reedley, CA).........State................5/29/53
4:20.4  Max Truex (Warsaw, Ind)..........State................5/22/54
4:20.0  Tod White (Newport Harbor, CA)...State................5/28/55
4:19.5  Tom Skutka (Morris Hills, N.J.)..State.................6/4/55

+ Ed Shields' record was thrown out in 1935 when it was 
found he was overage and not in attendance at Mercersburg 
at the time of his 4:23.6.


n = non winning mark

* = Junior

O = Non-High School Field.

Mile Record Progression

Non Winning Prep Marks in Open Competition

4:23.6  +Ed Shields (Mercersburg, PA)............................1912
4:20.4n -O Chesley Unruh (El Monte, Ca)......So Pacific AAU...5/16/25
4:18.2n -O Rudy Simms (DeWitt Clinton, NY)...Met AAU...........6/5/43
4:17.8n -O Deacon Jones (Boys Town, Neb).....Nat AAU..........6/18/54

4:16.1 - Jim Bowers (DeKalb, IL)

(64,65,65,62.1)

5/ 25/1956 -N IL Conference meet

Age-17yrs 6Mo

4:13.2 - Dyrol Burleson (Cottage Grove, Ore)

4/25/1958 -Corvallis Relays

4:12.2n -O

(63.8, 61.1, 62.4, 64.9 )

6/20/1958 -AAU (heat)

(jr - 4:24.4-'57-10th best).

4:11.0 - Dale Story (L, Orange, CA)

5/29/59 in winning CA state mile.

(62.6, 62.6, 66.1, 59.7)

- (As a junior, Dale ran 4:22.6 -15th best).

--------

4:08.9n -O

Archie San Romani jr. (R, East, KS)

6/5/1959 Compton Invite(above) -bested Story in race (62.5, 64.2, 64.5, 57.7).

- (As a junior, Archie ran 4:18.2 - 3rd best).

4:03.5n -O Tom Sullivan (St. George, IL)

(62, 62.2, 60.9, 58.4)

6/2/1961 -Open Race

Also tied NR 880-1:50.6 - Set Junior class records for 880/mile last year (60) 1:53.1/880 (11th) & led the nation in the mile - 4:11.7.

4:10.0 - Morgan Groth (Alhambra, CA)

6/17/61 - Winning Golden West Invite.

4:08.7 - *Dennis Carr (Lowell, CA)

(62.6, 62.9, 64.2, 59-flat.)

6/2/62 - CA State Meet.

Carr not only broke the jr class record (mile), he set the NR as well. His 4:08.7 at 16 yrs 7monthes made him the youngest record holder and fastest 16-yr-old miler in history.

**Jim Ryun (East, KS) led nation as a Soph -sets age 16 & Soph bests in 1963 with 4:07.8n -O.

6/8/63 @ USTFF Champs.

4:06.4 - * Jim Ryun wipes out the Prep standard (+ Jr class record) of 4:08.7 by Dennis Carr.

5/16/64 @ Kansas State Meet.

4:06.0 - Gerry Lindgren (Rogers HS), running without competition as did Ryun, took away the prep record in his state meet @ Pullman 5/23/64.

3:59.0n -O - *Jim Ryun

6/5/64 Compton Invite.The first eight runners were all under 4 minutes. Ryun, 17, was eigth but only 1.6 seconds behind the winner. (Dyrol Burleson).-Ryun was knocked off the track, lost at least one second.

+ 3:39.0n -O -1500 -4th in AAU Nats 6/27/64.

Ryun rocks the world when he became the first prep in history to run a sub-four minute mile. He wound up the season Representing the US at Tokyo Olympics where he reached the semi-finals in the 1500m.

1965 - 4:04.4 Jim Ryun

It was no surprise when Ryun crushed the all time indoor mark (4:07.2 @ Kansas state Championships) and came back three nights later to debut outdoors (3/30/65, at the Wichita East Invite) and promtly crack the outdoor record. He clocked 4:04.4 with a 56-second last lap.

4:02.0 - 4/23/65 Hutchinson Invite

3:58.3 - 5/15/65 @ State Meet. (58, 63, 61, 56.3!!).

3:58.1 -O 1st-Ryun -5/29/65 California Relays

3:56.8n -O 3rd-Ryun 6/4/65 Compton Invitational.

3:55.3 (Above) 1st-American Record! 6/27/65 AAU Championships. 18 year old Jim Ryun defeats WR holder Peter Snell (L) and AR holder Jim Grelle (M) in a new AR!

3:53.43n -O 5th Alan Webb (South Lakes, VA) 5/27/01

@ Pre Classic. Photo: Lisa Coniglio

Webb smashes Jim Ryun's 36-year-old High School record for the mile. Webb flashed past the 1500 post in 3:38.26n! -O to better an even older Ryun standard, 3:39.0 from '64!

Earlier, Web became the first US prep under 4 minutes Indoors with a 3:59.86n -O. 3rd -1/20/01 @ New Balance Games.

Mike Stahr (Carmel, NY) vs John Carlotti (Bernards, NJ)

1983 Millrose HS Mile

In "83," Stahr was the nations top prep miler indoors(4:10.98) & out(4:06.3) & 9:04.9 for 2 miles. Carlotti ran the mile indoors (4:11.41) & outdoors ran 1:50.1/800m & 4:08.1/mile.

7-21-07-Belgium

Webb scorches 3:46.91 to break Steve Scott's 25-year-old U.S. record in the mile.

Splits-56.1, 57.4, 56.8, 56.2