The fastest mile ever run deserves a deep rewind | Hicham El Guerrouj's 1999 World Record

It's July 7, 1999, and two runners are barreling toward the finish line of a mile race with a world record in reach.
To fully appreciate this incredible moment in track and field history, you need to remember how Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenya's Noah Ngeny got to this point. You need to remember the history of the mile run, which is an unusual and sort of atavistic event within the sport. You need to know how its record has progressed over the years, in fits and starts marked by head-to-head battles.
And you need to know the history of these two men: How El Guerrouj has literally tangled with Algerian legend Noureddine Morceli, whose record he's trying to beat, and how Ngeny helped El Guerrouj beat another one of Morceli's records before this.
You need to rewind!
Written and produced by Seth Rosenthal
Shot and edited by Michael Imhoff
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[@jackgorton2763]

Imagine breaking the mile record and yet still don’t win the race😂

[@eatmyphatphuckingass]

honestly how

[@patheddles4004]

Stand by for that to happen to Kenenise Bekele in the marathon, the next time he and Eliud Kipchoge race together.

[@diabl2master]

Breaking what was the record less than 1 second earlier 😭😭🤣🤣

[@heartsl402]

Jack Gorton lol

[@richardhsia9804]

@@diabl2master one second is a huge difference in track and field if your talking anything sub 4:15

[@JJBlackner]

They used to say that if you ran an under 4 minute mile, your heart would explode

[@Tim.1113]

Joe Kinchicken That’s me.

[@JoeARedHawk275]

Joe Kinchicken Like most other countries lol, except many African countries

[@noelramirez9532]

back when I was in high school this Salvadorean kid ran the mile full speed without stopping.......he finished and then passed out they had to call an ambulance lol

[@Daberney]

Noel Ramirez: Here's an even funnier story: several decades ago, Reggie Lewis of the Boston Celtics collapsed and died during a summer practice session! Lol!

[@dodgy9213]

Daberney 😂😂😂

[@RafaelAlves-rz7oe]

This is a Summoning Salt video with Olympics

[@ethandunn6790]

Rafael Alves yes

[@AmericasComic]

"And then, the record was never challenged....UNTIL"

[@MrWIZ9000]

I was gonna say the same thing lol

[@JoeCnNd]

Summoning Salt is awesome, I wish he'd post more often but I understand it's time consuming getting everything just right.

[@lombremic4840]

@@AmericasComic Until modern day mile/1600m runners stopped jogging the first 3 laps and relying on their kick for the final 400m

[@047Kenny]

Wow a track video!!!!! THANK U SO MUCH😭😭😭😭🔥

[@047Kenny]

Abycab Ayele thanks babe 😘

[@greatsisyphus7712]

this has to be the most epic username in all of internets

[@Astro2024]

A fitting username for this comment...

[@MarchingMac04]

ew

[@linntanokokok]

Mid-distance FTW.

[@stt5v2002]

YES!! I have watched this race at least 100 times. For middle distance runners, it was truly an unforgettable moment.

[@runningthroughit9151]

This and the 1500 with Lagat

[@henrystevens2290]

And Bekele's 5k

[@thomasrogers2]

Good to know there are people like me out there

[@ntlberry7187]

2004 Olympic 5000m would have been a better rewind for El G and Bekele.

[@se9865]

Alan Webb's race is one that's unforgettable to me. I actually watched it live.

[@mrsticky005]

"We need to know how he got into this point" I assume by running?

[@anonymousperson3023]

How stupid can you get? They clearly climbed out of a hole which took 3 and a half minutes to get through, and ran. God. How do you not know that? Smh

[@happyjohn1656]

@@anonymousperson3023 I'm confused, are you being sarcastic? 11:39 AM 10/19/2019

[@Bl-mn3zv]

@@happyjohn1656 he was being sarcastic

[@nightowl19god25]

I cant tell who’s joking Jokes are way to hard to understand now. Like someone said all Muslims should die and I say no you raciest there as important as any other people and then he said whooosh your an idiot you missed the joke. like WTH are wrong with jokes nowadays there not really funny and just rude sarcasm (happens a lot of times).

[@fernandoacosta7423]

Imagine breaking a world record just to place second lmfaoooo

[@deamoncohln9506]

Yes, more rewinds on less popular sports plz

[@ethandunn6790]

Deamon Cohln facts it’s cool when you aren’t really for sure what’s gonna happen

[@gregoropesa5028]

Totally. They’re interesting, and you don’t always know how it will end

[@ben9262]

I want one on wrestling.

[@jamesnewbury6354]

are you being sarcastic ?

[@deamoncohln9506]

@@jamesnewbury6354 No. Dead serious.

[@ediancleycosta5615]

You should do 1994 missed penalty by Baggio on the World Cup final

[@KT-zx1hu]

Lmao I wanna see that

[@jraymond1988]

I don't want to see that (or the 2005 Champions League Final) but I hope they do that just to get it out of the way so that nobody asks about it again. lol

[@TahaAlZadjali]

Or Valencia vs Bayern Munich Champions League in 2000/2001 Or Brazil vs Germany World Cup final (2002), it was the 1st ever match between the two best in the world cup Or Riquelme's penalty kick against Arsenal in 2006 Or Iraq winning the AFC Cup in 2007. Or Torres's goal against Barcelona in 2012.

[@nthatomalope]

Well said sir. well said!

[@sebastianol593]

A good idea but tragic would be Andrés Escobar's own goal

[@gunnerjax9012]

Who’s here after kipchoge ran a sub 2 hour marathon?

[@MicroageHD]

Literally everyone that sees your comment, since the event lies in the past.

[@sidhayes6168]

Fake

[@gunnerjax9012]

Microage big brain

[@gunnerjax9012]

Sid Hayes he didnt technically break the record your correct but he could probably do it legally

[@sidhayes6168]

@@gunnerjax9012 ok, i am ready for the attempt on a valid course and rules.

[@thecasualcaribou]

Incredible that he still owns the record after 20 years

[@blab3481]

I'm gonna break it. I'm not even lying i'm gonna do it.

[@tristanlacayo7464]

Deniz did you break it

[@blab3481]

@@tristanlacayo7464 no I didn't, I'm not giving up though

[@sancheteoriginal6898]

@@blab3481 it's impossible, don't do it.

[@ryugazeus3065]

@@tristanlacayo7464 try it 👍🏿👍🏿

[@SouthernLightsPvP]

This guys 100m splits for the entire mile are faster than most people can run flat out sprinting. Madness.

[@ghenckel]

El Guerrouj's record was because Ngeny was on his shoulder, pressing him the entire way. These guys very clearly enabled each other. Without that very capable threat on your shoulder, neither would have run this brilliantly. As with all great rivalries, they drove each other. What a great race it was, loved it! Epic!

[@thomasrogers2]

So happy to see this. El Guerrouj is one of my favorite athletes of all time! Glad he's getting love from you guys! Bekele's 5k is equally compelling. It could be a good video for you too.

[@Sam-lr9oi]

I hate to suggest it as a West Ham supporter, but the 2006 FA Cup final would be a hell of a rewinder.

[@charlesthebrick5251]

Sam come on youuu irons ⚒⚒⚒

[@god4501]

I wanna like but the number cannot be changed

[@zwebackshyper9307]

watched this race so many times it has to be one of the greatest sports moments in history

[@Shemzinho]

Hicham is the GOAT of middle distance running. My idol

[@darrylmata4025]

Didn't know led zep's JPJ was also an athlete back then. What a dude!

[@ars6492]

Dr. Barber and a Naval commander in the American Revolution!

[@erikhulme6]

Ha ha damn was going to comment this same thing. What a man!

[@lukasullivan1434]

Now hes on the bacheloret

[@The090919900222]

A Rewinder of Hicham El Guerrouj 1500m Gold at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Possibly the greatest 1500m race in history. His Last 1500m race ever

[@masonthieu2114]

Great video! I’m glad to finally see a track and field video and on the great El Guerrouj no less! Just a few things I noticed as a runner and track enthusiast: 1) I liked that you used both terms pace setters and rabbits, shows that you’ve done good research, but in track they’re more commonly called the former, pacers for short. 2) Usually, when you are going for a world record, you are alone but not because you entered a race with lackluster competitors rather, the pace you’re running is pushing the limits and it makes sense that others will drop off. It actually helps to have others stay with you for the final laps because it’ll push you more than if you were running alone, so having great competition in world record attempts is a good thing not a distraction. A great example of this would be El Guerrouj’s 1500m race in the 2004 Olympic finals. This is arguably one of his best races ever because despite his world records and dominance in middle distance, he had yet to win an Olympic gold. Pushed by Bernard Legat, El Guerrouj ran perhaps the greatest 1500m races ever, with every 100m being ran faster than the last with 800m to go. You should definitely look at this race next! Thanks for reading! Keep up the great work!

[@landonboomsma2594]

Mason T I’m a runner myself and couldn’t agree more was wondering if someone in the commments would say this

[@gregoryrowlerson8457]

Very well said.

[@rajrawat5023]

Can you please do a rewinder on the 2014 world cup semis between Brazil and Germany

[@kayakisgod]

can't wait to relive all those brazilian tears

[@salvatoresultana4058]

Not really necessary.

[@brokenking5044]

Only the first 10 minutes. The rest is just Garbage time

[@KT-zx1hu]

It isn't a clutch moment so...🤷🏾‍♂️

[@tmzebe530]

Please stop with the soccer requests every one of these videos has more soccer requests than anything else. Bro this is an American channel. Sure they cover all sports & countries. But soccer is not a top priority here so please stop with the soccer.

[@jdawg6389]

This is so cool. It shows the evolution of man over 100 years. They couldn’t beat 4 minutes. But since the 20 seconds have been taken from that record.

[@cameronkohlmann5496]

Some theories suggest that the 4 minute mark was mental. Nobody thought it could be broken, so nobody broke it. After it was broken once, everyone suddenly could do it.

[@jonmeray713]

37 pirate wrong.

[@JoaoPedro-be7wn]

Uruguay - Ghana, the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa deserves a rewind. Especially the Luiz Suarez's dramatic handball to send the game to the penalty shootout, where "The Crazy" El Loco Abreu made the coldest kick in World Cup history to win the game for Uruguayans.

[@ashe1614]

YES!!! FINALLY A TRACK & FIELD REWIND I LOVE YALL FOR THIS

[@bryanryder7196]

Easily one of the best rewinds this channel has done, but theyre all good! Great work as always, truly a historic moment

[@tylerlarsen1842]

2008 Olympics, Men's 4-by-100m Freestyle Swimming Relay, DO IT!

[@WeArePharmers]

YESSS Lezak's come-from-behind finish

[@edwinlam4679]

Yes please.

[@Rose-pv8gr]

yes I really hope he does this. One of my favorite moments in olympic history

The most clutch swim of all time.

[@afkgreg]

Thank you so much for making a rewind on track and field, love it

[@younusbendame742]

Never thought I’d see a Moroccan on SBnation 🤣 where are my fellow mgharba at

[@saadoa4969]

We is here bruh! doin it moving like Sinatra in 62'

[@younusbendame742]

@@saadoa4969 ALLAH AL WATAN AL MALIK

[@SuperIvanGrozni]

Goran Ivanišević wild card Wimbeldon win would be an amazing rewind!

[@ArtiKen]

Great video! Love the VHS style for the text and photos. That mile was quite a race! We hope to see a race as iconic as that one in the near future. Love seeing a track video on our feed!

[@daringulibon337]

Matt Stonie vs Joey Chestnut at the 2015 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest!

[@partycity750]

Darin Gulibon IF ONLY😭🙏🏻

[@mattiasmendis606]

Darin Gulibon not a sport

[@mattiasmendis606]

Pappy Tron they literally don’t stand up for the entire event

[@daringulibon337]

@@mattiasmendis606 I see no reason why it's not a sport. It tests physical and mental endurance, you have to train for weeks beforehand, and the Hot Dog Eating contest is shown on the biggest sports network in the US.

[@tramsramsey]

@Pappy Tron cyclists do stand up on their bikes.

[@fifthsirtako7917]

Being a track runner myself I love that y'all did this video

[@joereich7424]

One of my series from one of my favorite channels, and love the expansion into track and field milestones. Would love to see more T&F in the future!

[@wilsongeorges2763]

This is dope, thanks for some track content

[@mattmcdavitt4238]

This was such an awesome video to stumble upon. I really enjoyed it. Well done 👏

[@KnightVision68]

Thanks for that time break. It really put that into perspective

[@tracenwarnick9800]

This was sick! Thanks for the dope video

[@AmericasComic]

thanks for covering track and field - it's my favorite sport. I love how they run up and down the track.

[@hdfart]

Awesome to see you guys doing a track event!

[@Voltanaut]

With the rugby world cup coming up, have you ever considered Johnny Wilkinson's amazing last-minute kick to win England the 2003 rugby world cup against Australia, played in Australia. It's a great world cup to research, especially the final, because the English got their revenge by beating the Ozzies, who beat England in 1991, in England. I really recommend you make a video on this. You guys will love it. It's a great story, and it still brings a tear to my eye when I think of it.

[@gregoryrowlerson8457]

Great to see an in-depth video made about Hicham, and one that doesn't focus on the Olympics. In regards to his rivalry with Noah, their 1999 1,500 metres World Championship race in Seville was their best; easily the fastest major championship time for a 1,500 metres ever; that was both athletes at their absolute peak.

[@williamdowling7718]

Wow this is top quality content.. Excellent video. Thanks.

[@jacksonbrown2063]

You should do either the 100 fly or 4x100 free relay with Phelps on his quest for 8 golds in Beijing 2008. Legendary

[@kevinpulliam3661]

Thanks for the track and field love. For those that don't only watch in Olympic years this was a treat ;)

[@chittsy99]

You have to do a rewinder on Jonny wilkinson scoring a drop goal in the last second of the rugby World Cup final to win it for the first time in England's history against Australia in their own back yard.

[@imnot2goodatcod]

Oh yes, that's a great one to do

[@merr___7579]

From a track n field fan all year round, thank you 🙏🏽

[@timtalks6080]

more track vids ! i loved this one

[@brotherpanda3626]

Deep Rewind needs to be done on Saints-Vikings for reasons involving forgetting how to tackle. Also, a Collapse series needs to be done on Cowboys post-dynasty.

[@austin31bennett]

That was karma for the Saints murdering Favre and denying him another superbowl

[@davidjohnson156]

@@austin31bennett Y'all still complaining about this.🤣🧂

[@dinocruz53]

Super awesome video. I couldn't believe that you guys did a track and field video. More of this please... Miruts Yifter, Coe and Ovett, Kip Keino and Jim Ryan and ABEBE BEKILA!!!!

[@ca1vinyoung]

Thank you for a track video

[@palaciosele]

Amazing story and amazing video, very well done!! Would love to see a rewinder on Greece's last minute of extra time winner again Czech republic in the 2004 Euros, I think it'll make for an interesting rewinder. Keep up the good work!!

[@othmanedag1962]

Hicham El guerrouj The GOAT and a moroccan hero 🇲🇦🇲🇦🇲🇦 Rajl

[@Al_Idrissi_]

I am so proud of my countrymen Hicham 🇲🇦 ❤ ❤ ❤

[@joshuaeng8343]

YES!!! MORE TRACK & FIELD VIDEOS PLEASE!!!

[@buckethattrick9443]

Nice, I accidentally refreshed the page and this popped up.

[@bman342a]

Great video!

[@crohanjuyff]

Suggestion: Michael Thomas's goal in Arsenal vs Liverpool, 1989 league decider.

[@ag9652]

You should do the greatest sporting moment of 2019! Corner taken quickly- ORIGIIII!!!

[@edwardcook7568]

This is honestly amazing

[@samburgess1440]

Amazing video

[@Nickster_28]

SB Nation, thanks for posting a track video. Loved it! Next, you should a reminder on Usain Bolt breaking the 100M world record.

[@ashyourresidentenby5916]

The first track and field rewind ever!!!

[@lucasstankdasilva8221]

I have two ideas, it would be nice to have a f1 rewinder: 1) Ayrton Senna's first win in Brazil in 1991 2) Hamilton's thriller championship win in 2008

[@MaturedSinner]

This gives me hope that the 2008 Olympic Men's 100m Final will get a deep rewind.

[@jamesdaniels8455]

This is a great vid

[@rowdyrx6109]

Awesome! Thanks

[@alexkonoff2273]

Awesome video do more about track and Field

[@GrxndDxD]

That pause you gave made it real. Wow that's fast.

[@TahaAlZadjali]

Beautiful

[@ilyasadnane4128]

Great video

[@jonathonwestly8211]

best video yet

[@lenzcone]

Do a rewind on Lewis Hamiltons overtake on Timo Glock in the 2008 Brazilian grand prix

[@danielmedeiros6803]

As a Brazilian, that would hurt... Massa got screwed by Ferrari (and some bad luck) so many times that season. I love Hamilton and that finish was insane, but the 2008 title should be Massa's.

[@doruka890]

Glock was running with dries in wet and he şaş behind hamilton before the rain so i think it was deserved

[@auckairsealand]

IS THAT GLOCK GOING SLOWLY?

[@stizanley3987]

Really good video

[@musagetes23]

love this--more obscure sports please!

[@maxschmidhauser6551]

Love the track videos

[@aarondavidson907]

i totally thought he was gonna make a case for Guerrouj doping. So glad it's not that

[@nickpeterson8080]

It's crazy how the human mind can respond in certain situations. Sometimes I think with the right state of mind anything is possible, even what normally seems impossible...

[@wasamd2371]

Do a rewinder on Moses Malone’s dunk at the end of game 4 of the 1983 finals, capping off the sixers sweep of the lakers.

[@lt_johnmcclane]

Sounds like a boring topic to do a whole rewind on

[@Starstrike21]

great video

[@lavkian]

I would loooooooooooooooooove to see more rewinders on sports that aren't the Big Four, or world record rewinders. This was dope!

[@Venom-yh7vb]

My suggestions: 1. Zidane’s headbutt in Germany 06 2. Baggio’s miss in USA 94 3. Hamilton overtakes Glock on the last lap in Brazil 08 4. Hamilton’s engine failure in the Malaysian GP 2016 5. The Seahawks passing instead of running

[@Headhunter_212]

Venom p6. Rossi passes Lorenzo in final turn, 2009 motoGP Catalunya. www.wimp.com/rossi-vs-lorenzo-incredible-final-lap/

[@jaden-cc5vp]

Being American Morroccan I'm proud to see this

[@kyriakos_mixalopoulos]

very cool video. i recommend you did another association football related rewinder video

[@Jeromimo8]

What a guy only Seth could make a mile entertaining

[@colonialstraits1069]

More track & field, please!!!

[@ethanennis8]

Favorite Channel, Posts Favorite Video, about Favorite Athlete! Now could you do the 2004 1500m Olympic final, then I can die in peace

[@Ckbruinfan]

The 2005 champions league final deserves a deep rewind

[@Jmurda1983]

Suggestions -collapse of Greg Norman 96 masters -moment in history Kobe game winner in the playoffs against the Suns 2006 game 4 -beef history Sampras v Agassi

[@globulin]

One of the greatest stories that very few people know: Beckie Scott's triple medal in a single Olympic race at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

[@johnnycheckpoint8431]

A few ideas you could do: -Gar Heard’s NBA Finals Game 5 shot -Zinedine Zidane’s headbutt to Materazzi or the 2006 WC Final in general -Mike Piazza’s homerun after 9/11 -“The Play” Cal vs. Stanford 1982 -Patrik Stefan’s open net miss and Edmonton’s subsequent game-tying goal -Aaron Rodger’s Hail Mary in Detroit, Desean Jackson’s kick return against the Giants, or Stefon Diggs postseason walkoff against the Saints Tried to get one from every sport and sorry if there’s a video on these already.

[@neotheone7923]

i dont watch sports but man i love this channel

[@liamleonard8956]

Holtby stick save in Game 2 of the SCF against Alex Tuch

[@Porthos240]

a very valuable one.

[@gabriela2408]

Keep this running content

[@stevemakoskijr8074]

Please do a beef vid on Billy Martin vs George Steinbrenner, that would be fantastic!

[@eddiesanchez551]

This was dope

[@danielreyes9129]

More running videos please!!!

[@ericsilver9401]

You should do "the creation of SB nation deserves a deep rewind"

[@CamxCam.]

Seth, you're my favorite.

[@Lance.2451]

Yesss track and field finallyyyy