Commonwealth Games 2026 will see the return of the iconic Commonwealth Mile race after 60 years.
Commonwealth Mile, which will be run over 1609m, has replaced the 1500m in the athletics roster for both men and women.
Scotland’s Josh Kerr, who recently broke the one-mile world record, will be the star attraction in the event. Women’s world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya is also expected to be in action in the Commonwealth Mile in Glasgow.
The mile race was a star attraction in CWG from 1930 and 1966, before the competition adopted the metric distances, aligning with Olympic standards.
CWG 2026’s mile race is a tribute to the 1954 ‘The Miracle Mile’ at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver.
In that race, England’s Roger Bannister and Australian John Landy, who were the only sub-four-minute mile runners in the world at the time, went head-to-head. Bannister won the battle with a time of 3:58.8, while Landy finished second in 3:59.6.
Sir Roger Bannister talks with John Landy of Australia at the Iffley Road running track to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his first sub 4 minute mile on May 6, 2004. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
“The one mile is the quintessential Commonwealth athletics event whose return to the Games in Glasgow 2026 I very much welcome. The mile is easy to understand. It is four laps of the track and remains a standard everyday measurement across the Commonwealth,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe after the event was confirmed.
Both men’s and women’s Commonwealth Mile final races will happen on August 1.
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Published on Jul 21, 2026