Scottish Stranglehold on Iconic New York City Street Race Extended
Jemma Reekie and Josh Kerr have ensured the third consecutive Scottish sweep of the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile. Beginning at 80th Street on the Upper East Side, the iconic road mile stretches 20 blocks south along Manhattan’s most famous thoroughfare.
Women
After a clean getaway, the elite women ran most of the first half in a tightly bunched group. As the half-mile mark approached, Kaela Edwards quickly accelerated to collect the $1000 prime offered to whoever is leading at halfway, before dropping back into the pack. This prize is typically contested by athletes who know they won’t feature on the podium.
“I’m definitely not the most prepared for the mile right now,” Edwards commented after the race.
“I knew it would be a fun thing to get that halfway bonus. Got to have a little fun at some point this season.”
As the race progressed, the big names started to move to the fore. Australia’s Jessica Hull and Scotland’s Jemma Reekie went stride for stride to open a small gap in the closing stages, with Ireland’s Sarah Healy right behind in third. As they approached the line, Reekie used her 800m speed to time her move perfectly, with Hull fading to fifth and Healy miscalculating her finishing kick.
The Scotswoman was clearly happy with her performance, smiling all the way through her post-race interviews.
“Running this mile is always so special to me. I won it back in 2021. Last year, I placed well again, and then this year I’m happy to be back winning. It’s such a great event and it’s always a fun event to come to.”
Healy, who is just 22, was excited with her second-place performance but admitted she misjudged the race.
“I think, maybe, I thought it was 100 meters further than it was. Now I’m thinking I should have waited another ten seconds to really kick. I really enjoyed it, but I was nervous about getting it right.”
“It’s really important to know this course,” explained Reekie in response, who stopped the clock at 4:19.4 to finish six-tenths ahead of her Irish counterpart.
“I even did a session the other day in a straight line to practice for this.”
Reekie will now head over to the West Coast for her final race of the season, where she will compete in the 800m at the Diamond League season finale in Eugene.
Men
All eyes were on Josh Kerr as he donned his hallmark Oakley sunglasses, fittingly choosing a gold-coloured pair for the occasion. Before the race, he had made it clear that he had unfinished business on 5th Avenue. In last year’s edition he slipped and fell at the start, going on to finish tenth. However, after piercing the seemingly invincible armour of Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the World Championships last month to once again deny the Norwegian a global title, Kerr commanded a respect that allowed him to move to the front of the group as they rolled down Manhattan’s Museum Mile.
Like Edwards in the women’s race, Kenya’s Amon Kemboi made a little burst to secure the $1000 prime through halfway, before easing up after the fact to eventually fade to 11th.
Earlier in the week, Kerr made the decision not to compete at the Diamond League final in Eugene next weekend, delaying the inevitable rematch between himself and Ingebrigtsen. The Scotsman cited his mental and physical fatigue, borne of the media whirlwind that has followed his victory over the Norwegian at the World Championships, as the reason for ending his season early.
“It’s been a lot every day,” Kerr explained.
“Obviously, it’s very new to me to win a major [title]. So, it’s been a lot of media every day and it’s been mentally draining and tiring.”
Nevertheless, the 1500m world champion looked full of running on Sunday. When England’s George Mills pushed ahead with 400m to go, Kerr responded with authority, easing past his fellow Brit and very quickly opening up a comfortable margin. A couple of looks over his shoulder brought a smile to his face, as he overpowered the field to cross the line just inside 3:48 and win by over two seconds. His victory sealed a Scottish clean sweep for the third year in a row.
Josh Kerr wins the 5th Avenue Mile
(Photo credit: Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)
“We’ve ended where we wanted to end: we’ve ended on a high. I’ve been training and racing for a long time this year, and I was glad to put on a performance like that today,” said Kerr after the race.
Predictably, the media took yet another opportunity to ask the Scot about his relationship with Ingebrigtsen.
“We don’t really talk. It’s just kind of media asking us questions individually,” he responded.
“He’s racing very well…he’s very difficult to beat. I beat him on the right day and he’s going to have to deal with that for the rest of this year and I’m sure he’s going to come back fighting pretty hard next year too.”
Mills held his nerve to finish runner-up in his first 5th Avenue Mile but evidently expected more from himself.
“I didn’t get it right,” he told reporters.
“You can only say you got it right if you won. Josh was the only one who got it right today.”
You can access the full list of results on the official New York Road Runners website.