BYU runner to attempt mile record at upcoming meet

PROVO, Utah – Senior Miles Batty will attempt to become just the second runner in history to complete a sub-four minute mile in the state of Utah on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. MT at the annual BYU Robison Invitational.

Batty will attempt to join former Olympian Doug Padilla on the short list of runners to finish a mile in under four minutes in the state of Utah. Padilla is currently the only member of that elite group.

Padilla ran the mile in 3:57.83 on May 21, 1983, on the BYU outdoor track. His feat has remained unmatched for nearly 29 years. Batty hopes to join Padilla on the Utah sub-four list and will look to break Padilla’s Utah mile record.

The mile, along with all other events, will be contested at the Clarence F. Robison Track and Field Complex. A full schedule of events is available at byutrack.com.

Barton County Community College, Boise State, Idaho State, Utah, Weber State and Westminster College will be among the teams in attendance at the meet. BCCC is a highly ranked junior college program that finished third at the 2012 NJCAA Indoor Championships.

In addition to Batty’s mile race, there will be several other events featuring premier athletes. Freshman Lexi Eaton will strive to improve her mark in the high jump that begins at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Eaton currently ranks 11th nationally in the high jump. Competing alongside Eaton will be senior All-Americans Diana Blauer and Ada Robinson.

The meet kicks off at 11 a.m. on Friday with the women’s hammer throw. The opening day will conclude with the men’s 5000-meters at 3:50 p.m. On Saturday, the men’s hammer will open the day at 10 a.m. and the men’s 4x400m will conclude the invitational at 4:25 p.m.

Admission to the meet is $5 and children 5 and under are free. Live results will be available on runnercard.com on Friday and Saturday.

Taylor Wilson works for BYU Athletic Communications as a Sports Information Director for women's track and field. He can be reached at wtrack_sid@byu.edu.