By Barbara Huebner, Marathon News Service

NEW YORK ‰ÛÒ For Nick Willis, it was a season marred by injury; for Jenny Simpson,
it was another year on the medal stand and a personal best for Simpson.
Both Olympians, however, walked away from their victories at the 33rd NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile
Presented by Nissan on Sunday sorry to see it end. Willis, 30, of New
Zealand, became a two-time winner of the Fifth Avenue Mile when he
crossed the line in 3 minutes, 52.1 seconds, followed by 2011 race
champion Bernard Lagat of the United States in 3:52.9.
In the women‰Ûªs race, Simpson was comfortable all the way, leading from
before the quarter-mile mark and breaking the tape in 4:19.3 for her
second Fifth Avenue Mile victory in three years. It was the
fourth-fastest women‰Ûªs time in race history. Continue reading at bringbackthemile.com

By SPIKES Magazine

By Chris Lotsbom, Race Results Weekly

Nick Symmonds was satisfied with his 4:00.1, 17th place performance at last Sunday’s NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile
presented by Nissan. When notified of his time shortly after crossing
the finish, the 29-year-old let out a big “Aww c’mon” and had a smile on
his face. “I said I have one goal to break four [minutes] and I was .1
off, but it sets me up for a nice long break before I start training for
indoor,” he told Race Results Weekly. “I’ve beaten these guys before
just not at this event.” For the IAAF World Championships 800m silver
medalist, the road Mile was both a test and a beginning. Symmonds used
the race as a fun way to set the stage for next year, when he plans to
make the 1500m/Mile his primary focus. Continue reading at bringbackthemile.com

New Hampshire may be one of the smallest
states in the Union, but the Live Free or Die state has produced some
oversized talents. One of the best American female Milers ever, Lynn Jennings,
was a Granite Stater and produced the fastest Mile from the state in
1990, when she ran 4:24.14, the 7th fastest American woman all-time for
the iconic distance. For the men, Russell Brown lit up
the track collegiately for the Stanford University Cardinal and produced
one of the fastest Miles over the last couple of years as a member of
the Oregon Track Club, clocking 3:51.45 in 2011. New Hampshire is still
looking for its first sub-4 Mile on its soil. In 1974, Jack McDonald came within a second of doing so. Continue reading at bringbackthemile.com