PUMA’s Chi-Town Miles Historic Night: Chicago’s First Outdoor Sub 4-Minute Mile

It was an incredible night at Montrose Beach Wilson Track for the fifth annual PUMA’s Chi-Town Miles. The 2024 event brought increased interest and excitement, including the addition of a wheelchair mile which was won by Angelo Perez in 7:43.66. The Kids Dash kicked the night off, followed by sixteen races, each one getting faster as the night progressed.

The energy continued to build as runner after runner celebrated crossing the line first to win their heat. While the event culminates with elite athletes at the end of the night, it is also a great community showcase featuring runners of all ability levels and ages. Runners then stick around to watch as each race gets faster throughout the evening. This year’s event featured over 400 runners and sold-out weeks in advance of race day.

PUMA Women’s Nitro Mile

The community really came alive when it got to the Women’s and Men’s PUMA NITRO Mile races. The women were up first, and it was a tight pack through the first lap. The top three, consisting of Margaret Connelly, Rachel McCardell, and Addison Coppinger separated themselves at the halfway point, but Rachel McCardell ran away with it in the final lap, finishing in 4:54.54. Addison Coppinger and Margaret Connelly also broke the 5-minute mark, running 4:58.38 and 4:59.37, respectively.

PUMA Men’s Nitro Mile

There was a lot of buzz going into the men’s race, as it was a stacked field of 16 runners. Two men quickly separated themselves from the field: Chandler Gibbens and Sam Hubert, who is a friend and former teammate of Gibbens. Hubert helped pace Gibbens through the first half mile, then peeled off, leaving Gibbens to power through the last half mile solo. Going into the bell lap, Gibbens crossed the line at 3:01 and ran a 58-second final lap to finish in an incredible 3:59.62! Not only was this the first time Gibbens ran a sub-4-minute mile, but it was also the first time this was accomplished outdoors in Chicago! The support and excitement from the community runners lining the track as he came down the home stretch to break the tape was truly incredible. You can watch the excitement play out in the highlight reel down below.

The historic event was also covered by Kevin Doellman for WGN, which can be found here.

Congratulations to everyone who ran and thank you to our members, participants, volunteers and sponsors for making this an incredible night. 

Visit the event website for full results and race photos.