by Stuart Weir
The Oslo Dream Mile has happened since 1974. The Dream Mile has been the place where the top milers of the year got together and had their go at the classic mile distance, as the 1,500m was at all of the championships by 1974.
Each year, I would wait to see the TV on the weekend (in the 1970s and 1980s) and the newspaper article on the next day. I remember reading about Seb Coe, Steve Scott, Ray Flynn, and of course, Eamonn Coghlan and Thomas Wessinghage among the mile cognoscenti.
This year was one of the most exciting in the past three decades.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is a fine middle-distance runner. On February 17, 2022, Jakob ran 3:30.60 for the World Indoor record. Nice way to open the season.
In March, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, ran 3:38.42 on March 19, and on March 20, took 2nd the 1,500m at the World Indoor at 3:33.02. The next day, Jakob had a COVID-19 positive test.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Ollie Hoare, Oslo Bislett Games, June 16, 2022, photo by Diamond League AG
On May 6, Jakob ran a well-executed 5,000m at The TRACK MEET by Sound Running, running a then WL 13:02.03.
On May 29, 2022, Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the Bowerman mile in 3:49.76, his 1,500m split was 3:34.19.
The thing about Jakob’s training is that his high-quality work, done with very short rests, gives him the ability to handle a 56 pace a lap in the 1,500m/mile and 61-63 a lap at 5000m with a 55-56 last lap.
On June 7, in Trondheim, Jakob ran an 800m for the first time in years, ran 1:47.22, taking 4th.
The Oslo Dream Mile was spectacular. Jakob came oh so close to Steve Cram’s incredible record. Steve was doing the global broadcast with Tim Hutchings, and Tim Hutchings did the call on the race. Steve then came back and gave Jakob praise on his race, the fastest in many years.
Please enjoy Stuart Weir’s coverage of the event.
The Dream Mile
Oliver Hoare did his best, but no one was going to spoil the narrative of the first Norwegian winner of the Bislett Games Dream Mile. The race goes back to 1974 and was at one time a kind of British Championship with Steve Cram winning it four times and Seb Coe and Steve Ovett also winning with all three breaking the world record in the event.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the race but needed a World Lead, National record, and Diamond League record to do it – to be fair, “The mile” is probably not run that often these days. A better stat is that the top four all ran PRs.
Paced through the first two laps in 56.01 and 1:53.30, Ingebrigtsen was tracked closely by Australia’s Oliver Hoare and Britain’s Jake Wightman for most of the race.
The final results were
1 Jakob Ingebrigtsen 3:46.46
2 Oliver Hoare 3:47.48
3 Jake Wightman 3:50.30
4 Neil Gourlay 3:52.91
Jakob commented: “It felt great, I was ready to run fast and was happy to do that and to win. Some work needs to be done before the World Championships. It was an awesome crowd. Oslo is always perfect, and for me, it’s the best meeting in the world so it was an awesome experience. Last year I was sick, so couldn’t race here, unfortunately, so it was even more special here tonight, as was becoming the first Norwegian to win the Dream Mile – doing things nobody else has before is really great. I take it one race at a time, it’s important to have short-term goals – that’s how my mindset works to keep the motivation high. Confidence is a really important thing in sports, and I’m confident in what I do in training and, of course, am aiming for gold in Eugene”.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, speaking with media, 2022 Oslo Bislett Games, June 16, 2022, photo by Stuart Weir
Jake Wightman was delighted to break a 40-year-old Scottish record – although he was not aware until I told him. “I believe so [a Scottish record], but I wanted to be under 3:50, but it was so quick. From the first lap, I was worried about what my last lap would be like. The pace was so hot that I didn’t quite have the strength to back it up. It was a lonely last lap.
“There was only one person the crowd was cheering for. It was like playing a hostile away football game. If he is going to attack it like that, that is my best chance of running quick. A little bit disappointed I wasn’t closer”.
With Jake and Neil each running PRs and Josh Kerr in the mix, too, the Commonwealth Games 1500m looks like a hot race with Hoare facing the three Scots along with some tough Kenyans. Thank goodness Norway is not in the Commonwealth!
