by Larry Eder
EPIC TWO-MILE ON TAP AT 118TH MILLROSE GAMES ON SUNDAY
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2026 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission
NEW YORK (30-Jan) — Nearly two years ago Scotsman Josh Kerr came to the Millrose Games at the Nike Track & Field Center at the Armory in Upper Manhattan and came oh-so-close to breaking eight minutes for two miles. The 2023 world 1500m champion clocked a world indoor (short track) best 8:00.67, and behind him Grant Fisher ran an American record 8:03.62, and eventual Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker ran a personal best 8:05.70. With New Zealand’s George Beamish, a steeplechaser, finishing fourth in 8:05.73, four of the top-8 times in history were set in that race.
“Running two four-minute miles back-to-back is harder than people think,” Kerr told reporters that day. “I’m so happy to come off with not only the win, but the record.”
Those four men –all of them Olympic or World Championships medalists– will hold a reunion of sorts at Sunday’s 118th Millrose Games where they will compete over the two-mile distance once again. The field will be larger this time (13 instead of 9), and will be even stronger with 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman of Great Britain and reigning NCAA cross country champion Habtom Samuel of Eritrea also taking part. Expectations are high.
“Just excited to put myself up against some of the best in the world again over two miles,” Kerr said at a press conference today. “As soon as Ray (Flynn, the meeting director) told me it was two miles I was like, f**k, OK.” He continued: “You look at the field that comes together and you’re like, one unbelievable opportunity to go out and show the hard work that I’ve put together. The person who wins the race this weekend is a dog. I’m looking for that title for myself.”
The race first took shape last November as a re-match between Fisher and Hocker who went head-to-head over 3000m at last year’s meet. Fisher ran a world record 7:22.91 and Hocker notched the #2 mark of all time: 7:23.14. Fisher was happy to come back at the slightly longer distance (two miles is 3219 meters), but he didn’t know last fall when he committed to the race that the field would end up being so strong.
“This two-mile field, actually most of the fields in this competition, are world class, world-final kinds of fields,” Fisher told Race Results Weekly. “Maybe even better. You have 5-K guys, 1500 guys, steeplechasers all coming together in one race. I think it’s very rare.”
Fisher said that the way that meet director Flynn put together the race, including the financial incentives, made such a great competition possible.
“This meet, I think, gets a lot of things right,” said Fisher, who now represents himself and no longer uses an agent. “That’s why it works out so well year after year. You see athletes coming back. It’s pretty uncommon to see an athlete come here and not come here again. All of our incentives kind of line up to return.”
Hocker could just have easily competed in the NYRR Wanamaker Mile, the Millrose Games’ signature event, but the two-mile fit his annual program better, he said. Under coach Ben Thomas, he and training partner Cooper Teare have both been pointing towards Sunday’s race. Last weekend he and Teare ran a 2000m time trial at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg and Hocker ran an American record 4:52.92 (broken the next day by Hobbs Kessler at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston), and Teare ran 4:54.74.
“It’s pretty much it’s where we are in training,” said Hocker when asked why he’s in the Millrose two-mile instead of the Wanamaker, a race he would surely love to win. “I build that strength side first then focus on that speed. I think it’s obvious. When I want to dial-in on the speed we do it, and we do it really well. It’s usually between the USA Championships and the global championship (in the summer). You really have to time things right in this sport, and that’s something that my coach has gotten right.”
Hocker said he will attempt a fast mile in two weeks’ time at the ASICS Sound Running Invitational at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.
“Two weeks from this weekend I’m going to do a fast mile and try to improve on my mile PR (his indoor personal best is 3:50.35 from 2022). I really haven’t had many attempts, fast one’s I guess, surprisingly in my career.”
While none of the athletes today offered any details on their strategy, the race is certain to be fast. Pacemaker Ben Allen has been asked to take the leaders through 1600m in 3:59 (four-flat for the mile). Another world best is certainly possible, and Fisher said he was up for a fast pace.
“As a longer-distance runner I want this race to be quick,” said Fisher, who will make his half-marathon debut at the NYC Half here on March 15. He continued: “Being a 5-K/10-K guy, soon to be a half-marathon guy, I want it to be fast.”
While Kerr would love to win on Sunday, he would also still like to hold the world best when Sunday’s race is over, regardless of the result.
“It would be quite rude, yes,” he said when asked if he wanted to keep the fastest mark. “Eight-flat two years ago felt pretty quick. I mean now, it’s like almost an afterthought, especially with how fast these guys ran last year (Fisher’s 7:22.91 for 3000m roughly translates to 7:57 for two miles). I think sub-8:00 is definitely on the cards, and we’ll have to race to get it. It’s definitely going to be the one to watch.”
And there will certainly be a large audience to see it. The Amory’s co-chief Jonathan Schindel said today that the meet was a sell-out with approximately 5000 tickets sold. It will also be shown live on NBC.
“We sold our last ticket three weeks ago,” Schindel said. “So much of this is due to the great athletes.”
