Can A Normal Person Run A 4 Minute Mile?

When it comes to running a mile, certain times that are particularly impressive. When it comes to the best times, if you can complete a mile in around 5 minutes, this is superb.

The majority of “normal” people will run a mile in around 10 minutes. When we say normal, we are referring to those who have some running experience, and are fairly fit, but are not professionally trained.

For those who are quite inexperienced, they will typically run a mile in up to 15 minutes. However, there are many variables that will affect how quickly you can run a mile. 

For example, even those who are professional runners, age and sex will impact their overall running speed. When thinking about the 4 minute mark, a “normal” person may well be able to run a mile this quickly.

However, it is worth taking into consideration that there are only 1,497 people on record that have run a mile in four minutes.

When you take into consideration how many professional runners there have been over the years, this is not particularly high.

Those that are able to run a mile in 4 minutes will likely be in peak fitness. Given this, it is highly unlikely that the average person will be able to run a mile in 4 minutes. 

While it is highly unlikely, that is not to say that it is impossible.

But, given how difficult it is for professional athletes to complete a mile in this time, it is unlikely that the average person will be able to reach 4 minutes. 

5 to 7 minutes is probably more realistic for a “normal” person that is particularly quick and athletic. 

Will a woman ever run a 4 minute mile?

As it currently stands, the fastest mile record for a woman is 4:12.33. This was performed by Sidan Hassan in 2019.

As we have mentioned above, there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration when thinking about how quickly people are able to run. Sex is a big factor in this, as is age.

Typically, men are built in such a way that they are naturally faster than women.

While there are many professional women athletes that are faster than men, if there is a professional man and women competing against each other, it is very likely that the man will be faster.

Given how difficult it is to reach the 4 minute mark, it is unlikely that a woman will be able to reach this given that the current record is 12 seconds off this. However, that is not to say that it is impossible.

Given how running records have improved over the decades, in the decades to come, a woman may well reach a 4 minute mile.

It is thought that by 2050 a woman may be able to reach the 4 minute mark, however, until this happens, it is only a theory. 

Even so, it would be fantastic to see a woman hit the 4 minute mark.

Given how competitive running is as a sport, more women are pushing themselves to improve their times consistently. Given this, it can be possible for a woman to eventually reach this marker. 

Is a 3 minute mile possible?

No, it is very unlikely that a 3 minute mile will ever be possible. While this would be spectacular to see, the human body does have its limitations, even when pushed as far as possible.

When you take into consideration how difficult it is for a human to reach a 4 minute mile, it would take many decades for the best of athletes to even get near to the 3 minute mark.

4 minutes in itself is pushing the human body to the extreme, and it is thought that a 3 minute mile is physically impossible. 

The fastest recorded mile is 3:43.13, This was completed by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999. As you can see, while this is an absolutely impressive time, it is so far off the 3 minute mark.

Given this, it does seem impossible for even the best of athletes to reach 3 minutes.

However, this is not to say that someone in the future will not be able to reach this. Given that it was thought that no man could run a mile in under 4 minutes, a 3 minute mile may be possible in the future. 

When you take into consideration the physics and math to reach involved, technically speaking this could be possible in the future.

However, it is highly unlikely that we will ever see this happen. Especially given that the record still stands from 1999 and is yet to be beaten by any other professional athlete.