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Ithaca, NY - You only have one chance to make a first impression
The inaugural Kip Keino mile is certainly taking that saying to heart as many of the world's best will be toeing the line on Sunday, May 13th starting at 11am on the Harold Porter Track at the Ithaca High School.
Men's Race
The men's elite race will almost certainly produce the first ever sub-four minute mile in Ithaca, NY as a star studded international field has been assembled. It arguably is the finest mile/1500 meter field assembled outdoors in the US so far this year. The field includes 3 Olympians, 3 NCAA champions, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, 9 sub four minute milers including 6 who have run the equivalent of 3:56 or better, and competitors from the USA, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Kenya.
The men's field is led by US Olympian Anthony Famiglietti and New Zealand Olympian Nick Willis. Famiglietti, a 2004 Olympian in the steeplechase, is currently one of the hottest runners in the US. "Fam" enjoyed a stellar 2006 season as he pr'd at 1500 meters (3:35.83), one mile (3:55.71 track and 3:55.50 road), 5000 (13:24.47), 10000 (27:37.74) and 10 miles (50:13).
Early in 2007, Fam has showed that by no means is he content to rest on his laurels as he has been firing on all cylinders so far this year. The Long Island, NY native and current NYC resident won $12,000 in March by capturing the USATF 8k road championships in Central Park in a blistering 22:34. He followed that race up with a US leading 13:11 5,000 meters at Mt. Sac – the #2 time in the world this year for that distance.
New Zealander Nick Willis will open his 2007 season at the Kip Keino mile as he bounced back from a stress fracture that was diagnosed at the beginning of the year.
Willis, who won the 2005 NCAA indoor mile while competing for Michigan, has blossomed since turning professional in 2005. That year, he broke John Walker's legendary 30-year old New Zealand national record in the 1,500 with a 3:32.38 clocking. Last year, Willis improved on the mark with a 3:32.17, the metric equivalent of a 3:49.2 mile. Willis also pr'd in the mile last year with a 3:52.75. The 2004 Olympian's career highlight came in April of last year at the Commonwealth Games in Australia when he captured gold medal in the 1500 before nearly 83,000 fans.
Irish 5k and 10k national record holder Mark Carroll is actually the fastest miler in the field. The 35- year old Carroll, who ran a 3:50.62 mile in 2000, will be looking to break 4:00 for the first-time since 2001 as of late he's been more focused on longer races. Carroll ran a 2:10:54 marathon at the 2002 ING New York City marathon. The 1996 and 2000 Olympian was a former NCAA champion while at Providence and is married to US Olympian Amy Rudolph.
The field is full of other runners with stellar mile credentials. Kenya's Boaz Cheboiywo has run the equivalent of 3:53 in the mile (3:35.2 for 1500 meters) in the past. Kenya's Elliud Njubi has run 3:56 for the mile while Americans Jason Jabaut (3:59.07) has gone gone sub-4 as well. Canadian Matt Lincoln and American Blake Boldon are the the latest entrants to the sub 4 club. Lincoln, a 2006 grad of Penn St, broke four for the first time with a 3:59.39 clocking at Penn State on January 27, 2007, while Boldon went sub 4 on March 3 (3:59.18) in Ames, Iowa.
The University of Pittsburgh's Sam Bair, who boasts a pr of 4:00.14, is one of a handful of competitors who will be looking to break four for the first time ever. If Bair breaks 4:00 in Ithaca, history will be made as his father Sam Bair Sr. was a 3:56 miler. They will be the first American father-son sub-4 duo in history.
Also hoping to break four for the first time will be American Pat Tarpy (4:01.44 pr) and Canadians Matt Kerr (4:00.41) and Dylan Wykes (4:01.15).
While New Yorker Anthony Famiglietti likely will have the New York crowd on his side, the biggest hometown favorite might be Max King, who competed in Ithaca for four years as a member of the Cornell class of 2002. King, the Cornell school record holder in the steeplechase, now runs from the Oregon track club. He achieved his career highlight last year by making the 2005 USA cross country world championship team. His mile PR is 4:05.55.
2000 US Olympic marathoner Mark Coogan headlines the men's masters field.
The current expected men's field is as follows:
Expected Men's Field
| Athlete | Country | Personal bests/Notes |
| Anthony Famiglietti | USA | 3:55.71 mile, 3:35.83 1500, 8:17 steeple, 13:11 5k, 27:37 10k, 2004 US Olympian |
| Nick Willis | New Zealand | 3:52.75 mile, 3:32.17 1500, Commonwealth Games Champ, 2004 Olympian, 2005 NCAA mile champ for Michigan |
| Mark Carroll | Ireland | 3:50.62 mile, 13:03.93 5k, 27:46.82 10k, 2:10:54 marathon, NCAA Champ at Providence in 5k |
| Boaz Cheboiywo | Kenya | 3:57.00 mile, 3:35.20 1500, NCAA XC Champ for Eastern Michigan |
| Elliud Njubi | Kenya | 3: 56.84 mile, 3:38.18 1500, 1:46.79 for 800 |
| Jason Jabaut | USA | 3:59.07 mile, 3:40.59 1500 |
| Blake Boldon | USA | 3:59.18 mile, 3:41.36 1500 |
| Matt Lincoln | CAN | 3:59.39 mile |
| Sam Bair | USA | 4:00.14 mile, trying to become first US father-son sub 4 combo. Runs collegiately for Pittsburgh. |
| Matt Kerr | Canada | 4:00.41 mile, 3:41.76 1500 |
| Dylan Wykes | Canada | 4:01.1 mile, 7:58.7 3k, 13:57 5k |
| Pat Tarpy | USA | 4: 01.44 mile |
| Max King | USA | 4:05.55 mile, Cornell '02, Cornell record holder in the steeplechase, 8:33 steeple PR |
| Stephen Chemleny | Kenya | 3:46.29 1500, 4:08.29. Competed for Iona. |
| Martin Fagan | Ireland | |
| Sam Mackenzie | USA | Cornell '05, Will Rabbit race. PB Of 2:25 in 1k, 4:08 in mile. |
Women's Race
The women's race features top competitors from Ethiopia, Canada and of course the USA. Canada's Megan Metcalfe, the 2005 NCAA 5k champion for West Virginia, will be a strong contender for the title as her 4:31.91 pr is the best of all the competitors. Metcalfe will be challenged by American Natalie Hughes who was the NCAA runner-up in the mile last year for Florida State (4:40.18) before finishing 3rd outdoors at NCAAs in the 1500 in a personal record of 4:15.72.
Two competitors with local ties will also compete. Amber McGown, who graduated from Cornell in 2005 but now competes for the Oregon Track Club, enters the Ithaca mile in top form as she just ran two second pr in the metric mile (1500 meters) with a 4:16.13 clocking in California on March 31. Amanda Laytham, who was a division 3 NCAA runner-up while competing for the Ithaca College before graduating in 2004, also has been running well of late as she set an indoor mile pr of 4:48.96 in January.
The complete expected men's and women's fields as of April 25, 2007:
Expected Women's Field
| Athlete | Country | Personal bests/Notes |
| Megan Metcalfe | USA | 4:31.91 mile, NCAA 5k champion at West Virginia. |
| Natalie Hughes | USA | 4:40.18 mile, 4:15.72 1500, NCAA runnerup in mile last year for Florida State. |
| Amber McGown | USA | 4: 16.13 1500, Cornell '05. Competes for Oregon Track Club. |
| Brianna Dahm | USA | 4:23.93 1500, 4:47 mile. Competes for Oregon Track Club. |
| Melissa Cook | USA | 4:24.45 1500 |
| Jennifer Davis | USA | 4:42 mile |
| Amanda Laytham | USA | 4:48.96 mile, Ithaca '04 | .
| Allison Carr | USA | 4:31 1500, Competed for Penn State. |
| Natalie Gingerich | USA | Cornell '04, 2: 08.47 for 800. |
Kip KeinoFoundation, Sister City, BorgWarner Health & Fitness Expo, BorgWarner Corporate Challenge
The weekend of events provides the Kip Keino Foundation, Inc. a NYS not-for-profit 501(c)3, with the opportunity to support Dr. Kipchoge 'Kip' Keino for his ongoing humanitarian and elite sports programs in Eldoret, Kenya. Beyond this weekend, the Foundation will continue to exchange culture and ideas between Ithaca and Eldoret by establishing a sister city relationship proposed by Mayor Carolyn Peterson. Cornell University and many local businesses have already begun this community-university-foundation relationship after Dr. Keino's visit to Ithaca in December, 2006.
In addition to the professional and masters miles on Sunday, there is a BorgWarner Health and Fitness Expo from 11am to 4pm on Saturday/May 12th. This event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn and is free and open to the public. A donation of new or gently used running shoes will be accepted for the Cornell University Mortar Board National Honor Society 'SPIKES' shoe project. Team and individual race registration will be at the Expo since there will not be any race day registration. In addition on Sunday/May 13th there will be the BorgWarner Corporate Challenge featuring heats of 4*400m Men/Women/Co-ed relays from Corporate, Club, Collegiate and Open teams. There will also be a men's and women's open mile, in addition to the masters and elite miles. All entrants must pay a fee of $25 in advance. Spectators may purchase tickets to the race at the Expo on Saturday/May 12th or at the gate on Sunday/May 13th for $5 per person. Children 13 and under are free.
Come to Ithaca to Compete, Watch And/Or Attend the Kip Keino Mile
For general information, sponsorship and donations, email the race at raceinfo@kipfound.org, go to www.kipkeinotraining.org or contact Michelle Thompson at 607.227.8374.
We still are looking for athletes in the open miles, masters miles, and 4*400 relays. Please contact Weldon Johnson, LetsRun.com, for information on competing at weldonjohnson@letsrun.com.
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