Jemma Reekie headlines a strong British presence in a stacked international field for the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile in New York on Sunday September 13, as she returns to the race she has won twice before for the first time since 2023.
The Scot, who set a European road mile record last weekend, will be looking to add a third New York title to her collection when she lines up for the 45th edition of the iconic one-mile road race down a 20-block stretch of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
"As a two-time champion on 5th Avenue, I know what it takes to come out on top in this field of incredible runners," said Reekie. "I'm thrilled to have another opportunity to race through the streets of New York and add a third win to my resumé."
Reekie will be joined in the women's field by England's Melissa Courtney-Bryant, a four-time European medallist, along with Ellie Baker and Sarah Calvert. In the men's race, Wales' Jake Heyward, a two-time New Balance 5th Avenue Mile podium finisher, returns to a race he knows well.
The pair headlining the American challenge are 2025 runners-up Kayley DeLay and Drew Hunter, while the women's field also features Courtney Frerichs, the 2020 Olympic steeplechase silver medallist, Kenya's Susan Ejore-Sanders and Americans Heather MacLean and Elise Cranny.
Hunter is joined in the men's race by Australia's two-time Olympian Olli Hoare, a 2022 Commonwealth Games 1500m champion returning to New York after finishing second in 2021, alongside Kenyan Olympians Simon Koech and Leonard Bett – both making their New York debuts after taking Commonwealth Games steeplechase silver and bronze respectively this year – as well as Australia's Adam Spencer and the Netherlands' Stefan Nillessen, the reigning European 1500m champion.
More than 8600 runners are expected to take part across the day's races, with the professional field alone featuring 15 Olympians and 18 international medallists from 12 countries. The event also includes the Broadway Mile, in which more than 100 theatre professionals race in support of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, alongside a series of specialty heats including races for schoolchildren, older adults, NYPD and FDNY personnel, and media.
