The mile is an uniquely American distance that has stood as a barometer of fitness throughout the modern history of athletics. When international track and field went metric in the early 1900s, the mile was a survivor, one of the only imperial distances to make the transition. In the 1950s, the chase to break four minutes breathed new life into the mile, and for a short time, the eyes of the world turned to the track for some of the greatest competitions the world had ever witnessed. Despite this storied history, the mile lost some of its cachet in the latter half of the 20th century. It gradually began to fade from prominence, slowly disappearing from some of the programmes of the world’s elite track meets down through the NCAA and high school level, replaced with simpler metric distances. Diehard fans kept the mile alive at Millrose, Bislett, and the Bowerman Mile, but it seemed like the distance was nearing the end of its days as the golden child of track and field.

But on Sunday August 10th, something we knew for a while was reaffirmed - the mile is back and it’s on the roads… and on top of that, Boston now has its own road mile to celebrate this iconic distance.

Three Sundays this summer the City of Boston hosts Open Newbury, closing the street to cars and giving pedestrians free reign for the day. When we heard about the program, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take advantage of an empty road. What could be better than running full tilt down the city’s most iconic street? Thus the first-ever Trackhouse Mile on Newbury was born.

With around 130 participants across two heats, runners and spectators packed Newbury Street between Dartmouth and Mass Ave - the length of the course, a ¾ mile loop down Newbury with a fast ¼ mile finishing loop. In the Open heat, runners of all ages spread across the line, taking flight at just past 10am. Thomas Adamietz, representing the November Project, ran away with the win in the Open division, clocking 4:53 crossing the line four seconds ahead of the next competitor. On the women’s side, Boston University alum Janelle Jorgensen clinched the win with an impressive 5:49.

The second heat of the day was the seeded and team competition, with runners from nearly every Boston running club showing up to compete. GBTC, Battle Road, the BAA, the Heartbreakers, and Tracksmith’s own Hare AC went head to head for bragging rights, with the team with the lowest cumulative time across their top two male and female runners walking away with the title. The BAA’s Kameron Ulmer took the win in the men’s individual race with a course record time of 4:15. Tracksmith’s Lou Serafini and GBTC’s Mike Carlone rounded out the top three with 4:17 and 4:18 respectively. In the women’s race, Battle Road standout and UNH alum Rosie Donegan took the W with a gutsy 4:53. UNH teammate Hannah Kimball brought a 5:08 to the table, good for second place, and Donegan’s Battle Road teammate Caitlin Fahey rolled in with a 5:10 for third.

Battle Road’s women secured the win with their podium finishes, with Tracksmith’s Hare AC finishing second thanks to Lou Serafini up front and strong performances from Ben Bosworth, Molly Malone, and Heather Martin (Malone and Martin went 4-5 in the women’s race). To add an extra degree of excitement to the day, another category was added to the results - the King and Queen of the Kick - an award for those who covered the last 400m of the race the fastest in their respective races. Donegan was crowned Queen of the kick, clocking 72 seconds for her final 400m. In the men’s race, surprise winner Cole Townsend (7th overall) claimed the crown with an impressive 64 second drive for home.

Battle Road atop the podium for the team title.

We’re looking forward to hosting even more events and experiences for the Boston running community year-round. In addition to these special opportunities, we host a weekly run club that meets on Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings, right here at The Trackhouse. If you’re interested in upcoming events, training runs, or just meeting some new faces in the local running community, make sure to follow our social media channels and sign up for the Trackhouse newsletter for announcements and more exciting opportunities.

Words by Bryan Gallagher. Photos by Ben Weingart.