Chandler Gibbens runs Chicago’s first outdoor sub-4-minute mile

CHICAGO — It was a beautiful summer evening along the lakefront on Saturday night.

Under the Montrose Beach Track lights, a 23-year-old was on a mission to conquer a mythical feat.

Chandler Gibbens laced up his Adidas shoes and ran the first-ever sub-four-minute outdoor mile in Chicago history.

“Every source has confirmed the record,” Tim Bradley, Executive Director of the Chicago Area Runners Association, said.

There had never been an outdoor mile race in Chicago where a runner had broken the four-minute barrier until now.

Gibbens ran a 3:59.6-minute mile at Puma’s Chi-Town Miles event.

In 1964, Tom O’Hara set a world mile record with a time of 3:56.4 at Chicago Stadium, but that was indoors.

Gibbens is a Columbia, Missouri native who ran track and cross country at the University of Kansas. He was the team captain in 2023 and won both the men’s 5K and 10K at the 2023 Big 12 Championship.

Gibbons also competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 10,000-meter where he placed 11th. He moved to Chicago this month to work at Ernst & Young in their tax division.

In a video taken by the Chicago Area Runners Association , Gibbens can be seen crossing the finish line to complete the city’s first outdoor sub-4-minute mile.

“When I knew I was moving to Chicago, I started looking for local races and came across the Chi-Town Miles. I knew going into the race I wanted to break 4, and I had Sam Hubert, a good friend and former teammate from KU, in town and he agreed to pace me through the half mile.

My fastest mile before this race was 4:06, but I ran a 1500 earlier this season that converts to 4:01 so I knew I was capable of running under 4:00.

“When I knew I was moving to Chicago, I started looking for local races and came across the Chi-Town Miles. I knew going into the race I wanted to break 4, and I had Sam Hubert, a good friend and former teammate from KU, in town and he agreed to pace me through the half mile.
My fastest mile before this race was 4:06, but I ran a 1500 earlier this season that converts to 4:01 so I knew I was capable of running under 4:00.

Immediately after the race, I was about 99% sure I had broken four but I wasn’t positive, so I crossed the line and celebrated and then Sam and my girlfriend Addie (who was second in the women’s race) ran over and hugged me. And then after, I asked one of the officials if the result was official and he said ‘Yes,’ and my first thought was gratitude to my friends and family, to everyone who had supported me, and the community for coming out and providing the atmosphere that I needed to achieve my goal.

Since the race, I’ve heard from much of my family and friends and everyone is excited, but nobody is much surprised.

I spoke to my parents after the race and they were super excited and had stayed up monitoring the live results to see when the time was official, and I will get to celebrate with them properly when they come up to visit in a few weeks. I have had many friends reach out to me to congratulate me too.

My role models for several years have been some of the KU runners that came before me and especially Jim Ryun and Billy Mills. Jim was an amazing KU miler so of course I think of him after Saturday, but he is also a very kind man who looks to spread the joy of track and field with many people. Billy Mills being a Jayhawk who won the 10000 Gold in the 1964 Olympics is obviously someone I look up to because he went to the same school and achieved the highest honor in our sport.”

Chandler Gibbens

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