The pair clocked respective records of 4:23 and 3:59 to claim victory on the streets of the British capital.
Katie Snowden and Jo Wigfield produced stunning runs to take respective victories in the Vitality Westminster Mile (September 21).
Both Snowden and Wigfield broke the previous year’s records in London, but achieved their victories in slightly different ways.
Snowden, who finished fifth over 1500m at the British Athletics Championships and ninth at the European Championships, ran 4:23 for the mile outside Buckingham Palace.
The 30-year-old dominated to win by 25 seconds, with Lily Hawkins and Hannah Keenan clocking 4:48 and 4:56 for second and third.
It was Snowden’s first road mile since finishing ninth in last year’s Fifth Avenue Mile in New York.
His time of 4:23 should come as no surprise as the Briton’s personal best over the distance is 4:21.19, set at last season’s Millrose Games.
Katy Snowden on the Westminster Mile (Graham Smith)
“Honestly, I really enjoyed it,” Snowden said. “I haven’t done a road mile since New York last year, but I haven’t raced the Vitality Westminster Mile since 2017. Obviously I wanted to run faster than I did then (4:36).
“It was just a lot of fun. I got here quite early and it was nice to have a sense of occasion. I couldn’t believe the amount of people that came out here. Watching the little kids in the waves was just really inspiring.”
Joe Wigfield became the first person ever to run a sub-four minute mile on the current Vitality Westminster Mile course.
The 24-year-old clocked 3:59 to beat James Young and Jacob Kenn by two seconds in a pulsating race.
Joe Wigfield on the Westminster Mile (Graham Smith)
During the summer, in the incredibly competitive indoor 1500m field, Wigfield finished seventh in the British Athletics Championships and was also sixth in the indoor 3000m.
The Brit also clocked personal bests of 1:46.11 and 3:36.09 in the 800m and 1500m this summer and will no doubt be looking to lower those again in 2025.
Wigfield’s previous mile best was 4:34.2, but that was before 2017.
It’s also worth noting that while Wigfield’s 3:59 is the course record, the best time in the Westminster Mile was Steve Ovett’s 3:56.1 from 1986, set in an international field that included Steve Cram.
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Earlier in the day, Claire Elms smashed her own UK W60 mile record by an astonishing 12 seconds with an incredible 5:21 at the Westminster Mile.
That run was also an unofficial world best over the distance and Elms, who has set countless domestic and world age group records this season, continues to go from strength to strength.
“I’m really excited,” Elms said. “The atmosphere, being around all the people, the perfect conditions also really helped. It was very hot and there was hardly any wind. It’s definitely a British record and I think it’s the best in the world too.
Claire Elms continued her incredible season by clocking 5:21 at London’s Westminster Mile.
That’s well below his previous UK W60 best of 5:33 and is also an unofficial world best in the mile.
Another amazing run
https://t.co/jXhvEXxwDz pic.twitter.com/PjvtQ0gtcg
— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 21, 2024
“It means a lot. I’ve been a bit sick so I’ve been cycling this week. I was wondering if my legs might be getting a little heavy, so with no running this week I was ecstatic. Maybe that calmed me down. I am very happy and I couldn’t ask for more today.”
Elsewhere, Kirsty Booth set the W45 UK mile record and Mark Symes set the M55 UK mile record.
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