A five-minute mile requires a mix of endurance and velocity. It’s a decent time for any leisure runner, and particularly for somebody who’s over 60. Final week, at a masters meet in Dublin, Anne Gilshinan set a brand new world file for the indoor mile within the 60+ age class, clocking a formidable 5 minutes and 27 seconds.
Gilshinan, hailing from Wexford, Eire, shaved three seconds off the prevailing file of 5:30.73, set earlier this 12 months by American masters runner Sue McDonald. To place Gilshinan’s new record-setting time in perspective, it’s a mean velocity of about 18 km/h, and a tempo of three:23/km.
Having simply moved into the ladies’s 60-64 age class in April, Gilshinan has been on a tear ever since, setting two masters world information within the final six months. She set her first file on the 2024 World Masters Championships in August, the place she gained gold within the W60 1,500m race over her American rival, in a world file time of 4:59.45. This achievement made her the first girl over 60 to run underneath 5 minutes for 1,500m.
After the World Masters, Gilshinan took day without work to shift her focus to focus on extra information for the 2024-2025 indoor season. Earlier than transferring into the W60-64 class, she held six W55-59 information, together with the mile world file for W55+ (5:08.47).
Gilshinan’s achievements haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2023, Gilshinan was named Masters Athlete of the 12 months by European Athletics; she additionally acquired nationwide honours in Eire.
In accordance with the Irish Unbiased, Gilshinan was a runner in her youth, however took an extended hiatus from the game earlier than returning to it in her 50s.
The brand new world file is pending ratification by World Masters Athletics (WMA), however her exceptional time is an inspiration to many feminine athletes.