- At the Music City Distance Carnival on Friday evening, 53-year-old Brad Barton set a new masters record for the mile, finishing the race in 4:19.59 and surging past Irish Olympian Shane Healy for the win.
- Barton broke the previous record of 4:25.04 set by Nolan Shaheed in 2001.
At 53 years old, Brad Barton now owns three world records, effectively extending his streak of accomplishments as a masters runner. On Friday night, the middle distance standout from Ogden, Utah, kicked his way past an Irish Olympian to become the new world record-holder in the mile for the men’s 50-54 age category.
At the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville, Tennessee, Barton finished the masters mile in 4:19.59 after surging past fellow competitor Shane Healy, 50, with 250 meters to go. Healy, who competed for Ireland at the 1996 Olympic Games, finished second in 4:22.96.
“I just felt really good coming off the last turn and just motored through the end,” Barton told FloTrack after the race. “I'm really fortunate to beat an Irish legend. It was a wonderful experience for me tonight.”
[an Irish Olympian Runner’s World Training Plan, designed for any speed and any distance.]
Barton’s performance improved on the previous world record of 4:25.04 set by Nolan Shaheed in 2001. Healy also broke the previous record.
Both competitors entered Friday night’s race with the goal of breaking the record, and established a pacer to help them accomplish the goal. With the rabbit in the lead, Healy positioned himself directly behind him by the first 400 meters, which was run in roughly 66 seconds. Barton followed a few steps behind Healy.
The pacer came through 800 meters in 2:10, while Healy and Barton followed closely before the rabbit stepped off the track. For the remaining half of the distance, the two runners battled for top position until Barton pulled away for the victory in the final lap.
While Barton won the race comfortably, he confessed that the preparation for the performance was not easy, but it was a rewarding experience.
“This is a scary thing to come out and try and run 4:20 in a mile at 53 years old. I lose some sleep over some of these workouts,” Barton said to FloTrack. “This is hard, and makes life just that much sweeter when you're doing something really hard."
Friday’s mile is the latest in a series of standout runs for Barton, whose running career has progressed over time. A Health - Injuries who finished third in the steeplechase (8:31) at the 1991 NCAA Championships, Barton also owns the world record for the steeplechase in the men’s 45-49 category at 9:06.68. In 2014, he broke the Pro Runners Ask: Is My Agent Worth the Fee for the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:26.15 for the men’s 45-49 category.
Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in SELF, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner. When she’s not writing, Taylor volunteers as a coach to up-and-coming runners in the Chicago area.
