The professional indoor track and field season is one for the history books, with records being crushed in the men’s distance events.
The indoor men’s mile time, previously set by Yomif Kejelcha, with a time of 3.47.01 in 2019, was broken by the American athlete Yared Nuguse on Feb. 8, with a time of 3.46.63.
But not even a week later, on Feb. 13, that record was broken again by Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigsten, who finished with a time of 3:45.14.
Not only did Ingebrigsten break the mile record but also the 1,500 meters record in the same race, setting that time at a 3:29.63 and not slowing down till the finish. The previous 1,500 meters record was his own: He set it in 2022 at a 3:30.60.
The indoor 3000 and 5000 meter races have new records, set by the same athlete, American Grant Fisher.
On Feb. 8, Fisher worked to beat Cole Hocker in a fast race in which he set a record of 7:22.91 seconds. The previous record was set by Ethiopian Lamecha Girma in 2023.
Not even a week later, Fisher did it again in the 5000. He ran a 12:44.09 on Feb. 14, breaking the previously set record by six seconds, originally set by Ethiopian Keneisa Bekele.
All these new records could be the result of some of the recent advancements that running has seen in carbon-fiber plates in running shoes, as well as from athletes taking sodium bicarbonate – baking soda – to help with their training and performance on the track.
Carbon-fiber shoes are known for their positive energy return and the bounce they give to the runner’s stride. Sodium bicarbonate helps to improve performance during exercise, especially intense training. It improves endurance and strength, according to Outside Magazine, and as many as 80 percent of elite athletes use it to improve performance.
Indoor track is the hardest season to compete in due to not only the weather conditions for training, but also the transition to running inside compared to on a full-sized outdoor track.
These new records are a promising sign for the upcoming outdoor season, as track and field fans will be watching to see how fast these athletes will be moving by then.
