The Emsley Carr Mile is an annual invitational athletics running event held in the United Kingdom over one mile for men.
History The race was inaugurated in 1953 by Sir William Carr in memory of his father Sir Emsley Carr, a former editor of the News of the World. The event was created to encourage athletes to break the four-minute mile. By the second time the race was run, Roger Bannister had already broken the world record on 6 May 1954 at the annual athletics event between the Amateur Athletics Association (AAA) and the University of Oxford at the Iffley Road Track in Oxford. Bannister never did run in the Emsley Carr Mile.
The winners of the race sign the Emsley Carr Trophy, a red Moroccan leather-bound book, now running into a second volume since 1980. It contains a history of mile running since 1868 from around the world and also includes signatures of many of the world's leading milers, including Paavo Nurmi, Sydney Wooderson, John Landy, Gordon Pirie, and Roger Bannister. The race has been won by eleven Olympic champions, Kip Keino, Steve Ovett, Murray Halberg, John Walker, Geoff Smith, Sebastian Coe, Saïd Aouita, William Tanui, Vénuste Niyongabo, Haile Gebrselassie, Asbel Kiprop, and Hicham El Guerrouj. It has also been won by eight athletes who have held the world record for the mile: Walker, Ovett, Coe, El Guerrouj, Filbert Bayi, Derek Ibbotson, Jim Ryun and Josh Kerr. Kerr set his world record in the 2026 Emsley Carr Mile.
Ken Wood, a former Sheffield athlete, won the Emsley Carr Mile a record four times. The fastest time recorded for the event stands at 3:42.66 (the world record), set by Kerr in 2026. This beat the previous British all-comers’ record, set by El Guerrouj in the 2000 Emsley Carr Mile.
In 1969 Sir William Carr decided not to continue sponsoring the race and the AAA took it over and continued until he died in 1977. Since 1977, Emsley Carr's grandson, William, has continued with the tradition and has kept the book up to date and has provided a glass piece, presented to the winner by a member of the Carr family.
Winners
+1953–1988YearWinnerTimeVenue19534:06.80White City Stadium, London19544:04.8019554:05.4019563:59.4019574:02.0019584:06.5019594:03.1019604:00.3019614:08.4019623:56.5219634:06.5019643:56.0419654:04.1119663:53.4219673:56.0219683:58.5619693:57.80Crystal Palace, London19703:57.40Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh19714:00.4019723:55.30Crystal Palace, London19734:01.8119743:57.4419753:55.5019763:57.0619773:57.6719783:55.8319793:56.58Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead19804:00.60Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh19813:55.80Cwmbran Stadium, Cwmbran19823:57.84Crystal Palace, London19834:03.37Alexander Stadium, Birmingham19843:55.71Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead19854:01.70Morfa Stadium, Swansea19863:57.0319873:58.75Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead19884:07.07Crystal Palace, London
+1989–presentYearWinnerTimeVenue19893:51.97Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead19903:55.51Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead19913:52.10Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield19923:58.7619933:57.06Mountbatten Centre, Portsmouth19943:58.72Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead19953:49.80Crystal Palace, London19963:54.57Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield19973:53.2819983:51.7419993:52.39Gateshead Stadium, Gateshead20003:45.96Crystal Palace, London20013:49.4120023:50.8620033:48.1720043:49.8420053:52.50Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield20064:10.02Alexander Stadium, Birmingham20073:54.24Stretford Stadium, Manchester20083:54.68Crystal Palace, London20093:52.7120103:50.1420113:51.2120123:52.4420133:50.01Olympic Stadium, London20143:51.89Alexander Stadium, Birmingham20153:54.87Olympic Stadium, London20163:53.0420173:54.92Alexander Stadium, Birmingham20183:54.6020193:49.45Olympic Stadium, London2020Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom20213:52.49International Stadium, Gateshead20223:54.89Parliament Hill, London20233:55.70Sportcity, Manchester20243:49.03Olympic Stadium, London20253:53.99University of Stirling20263:42.66London Stadium
See also Mile run world record progression Four-minute mile Dicksonpokalen Dream Mile Bowerman Mile Wanamaker Mile
References
List of winners Butler, Mark, Emsley Carr Mile Association of Road Racing Statisticians, 5 October 2006; Retrieved 23 January 2011
External links