Press Release: Initial Elite Fields set for the 2025 Sir Walter Miler

Initial Elite Fields set for 2025 Sir Walter Miler

July 23, 2025 – Raleigh, North Carolina – Sir Walter Running is excited to announce the initial Men’s and Women’s Elite Fields for the 2025 Sir Walter Miler, which will be held Friday, August 8, 2025. The event returns again to Meredith College, where the event took shape in 2014, and is free to attend. The event will again be broadcast internationally on RunnerSpace.com.

The event joins the World Athletics Continental Tour for the first time at the Silver level, serving as a platform for athletes to earn World Rankings points.

“12 years in and we continue to deliver one of the most fan-centric, high-performance running events that highlights our local running community, while inviting the national running scene into what makes this place and this night so special,” said Sandy Roberts, co-founder of the event, which started in 2013.

The 2025 Elite fields include Olympians, National Champions, and Local Favorites highlight star studded fields for the annual event.

In the Men’s Elite Field, 2024 Champion Waleed Suliman leads the pursuit of his State Record of 3:51.89 set at the 2024 event. Former NCAA Champion and 2000m Spanish record-holder Mario Garcia Romo leads the field with a personal best of 3:47.69 in the mile. Recent Villanova graduate, Liam Murphy, set the NCAA record in the 1500 meters this spring at the Raleigh Relays in 3:33.02, and will look to challenge. 2025 NCAA 3000m Steeplechase Bronze medalist, and Cardinal Gibbons alum, Carson Williams adds some local flavor and looks to improve upon his personal best of 3:58.26 after a stellar career at Furman University.

The Women’s Elite Field features multiple-time NCAA Champion and former NC State runner, Katelyn Tuohy. Joining Tuohy is a decorated field that includes former high school record-holder in the mile, Sadie Engelhardt, as she wraps her prep career before enrolling at NC State this fall to compete for the Wolfpack. Two Olympians also highlight the field in Simone Plourde (Canada) and Colleen Quigley (USA), and two recent NCAA standouts Margot Appleton (UVA) and Maggi Congdon (NAU) will add depth.

“We’ve broken many barriers collectively by adding more athletes to the US sub 4:30 list than any other event in history (19). This year we could see more, with arguably the deepest field we’ve ever assembled,” said Women’s Elite Coordinator Jeff Caron.

Listen to Caron and Men’s Elite Coordinator, Stephen Furst, discuss the initial fields here on the Summer of Miles podcast.

The 2025 Sir Walter Miler weekend will consist of events from Monday through Saturday. On Friday night, the Sir Walter carnival will start at Meredith at 6pm. Before the Elite Races, there will be annually-contested Run Club 4×400 Meter Relay, as well as the return of the Run Club Mile. The Elite races will follow and the Post Race Party will be across Hillsborough Street at Raleigh Brewing Company. Saturday morning brings the adidas Run with the Pros. On Saturday night, the Raleigh RunDown Downhill Mile, will be held on Centennial Parkway. The race will be followed by awards and a post-race party at Trophy Brewing on Maywood to finish the weekend.

Sir Walter Miler Week Schedule

• Monday – Sir Walter Miler Week Kickoff at Pelagic (6pm)
• Tuesday – Run from the Bend (6pm)
• Wednesday – Fount Coffee Run from Hartwell (7am)
  • PM – Elite Athlete Panel at Hartwell (6PM)
• Thursday – Elite Athlete Dinner
• Friday – Sir Walter Miler (6pm)
• Saturday – adidas Run with the Pros (9am)
  • PM: Raleigh RunDown Downhill Mile (6:30pm)

Very Important Spectator packages are available.

Sir Walter Miler Friday Schedule

• 6:00pm – Carnival at the Meredith College track
• 8:30pm – Run Club Mile
• 8:40pm – Run Club 4×400 Relay
• 8:45pm – Fans allowed on infield to line the track
• 9:00pm – National Anthem
• 9:15pm – Women’s Elite Mile
• 9:30pm – Men’s Elite Mile
• 9:40pm – Awards Ceremony on the Meredith College Track
• 9:55pm – Post Party starts at Raleigh Brewing Company

2025 Initial Sir Walter Miler Elite Women’s Field

• Margot Appleton
• Christina Aragon – Nike Swoosh TC
• Laurie Barton – Atlanta Track Club Elite
• Maggi Congdon – Nike Swoosh TC
• Sadie Engelhardt – New Balance
• Krissy Gear – HOKA
• Bailey Hertenstein – Nike / Union Athletics Club
• Rachel McArthur – ASICS
• Kate Mitchell – New Balance
• Simone Plourde – Nike Swoosh TC
• Colleen Quigley – lululemon / Meridia
• Katelyn Tuohy – adidas
• Hannah Ballowe – adidas (Pop Up Miles Champ)

2025 Initial Sir Walter Miler Elite Men’s Field

• Sam Prakel – adidas
• Waleed Suliman – Brooks Beasts TC
• Clayton VanDyke
• Carson Williams
• Yasin Sado – ASICS
• Sair Salgado – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Ky Robinson – On Athletics Club
• Liam Murphy – Nike Swoosh TC
• Mario Garcia Romo – On Athletics Club
• Ajay Kumar Saroj
• Michael Spragley (Pop Up Miles Champ)
• Patrick Touhy (Pace) – NC State

Some history on the Sir Walter Miler:

• When the event was created, the last sub 4:00 mile seen in Raleigh was run in 1974. Since 2014, the Sir Walter Miler has hosted 75 sub-4:00 performances on the Men’s side.
  Before the Sir Walter Miler, no Woman had ever run under 4:30 in the Mile in the state of North Carolina. Since then, we have seen the hallowed barrier broken 34 times at the event.
• In 2015, Sports Illustrated called the event the “Best Model for Future Growth of American Track & Field” 
• In 2016, Paralympic Gold Medalist Mikey Brannigan became the first T20 athlete to break the 4:00 barrier, running 3:57.58.
• In 2018, all 13 American finishers in the Men’s Elite Mile broke 4:00, which tied for the most in a single race.
• In 2021, 9 Women broke the 4:30 barrier, including 8 Americans, the highest number in a single race to this day.
• In 2024, Dorcus Ewoi led Sage Hurta-Klecker and Heather MacLean to the top three outdoor mile times in the World for the 2024 Outdoor Season.
• The Women’s Record is 4:19.71 (Dorcus Ewoi ’24) and the Men’s Record is 3:51.89 (Waleed Suliman ’24). Both times are North Carolina State Records.

Sponsors of the 2025 Sir Walter Miler are Trail Ridge Financial, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, Think Promotional Group, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, ChicknLegs, LMNT, Arrow, Trophy Brewing, and adidas.

The Sir Walter Miler is directed and promoted by Sir Walter Running, a Raleigh-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to “bring the Greater Raleigh running community together through innovation, activation, and inclusivity.” Sir Walter Running is a USATF club that produces the Pop Up Miles series, the Raleigh RunDown Downhill Mile, the Raleigh (Holiday) Half Marathon, the Tour de Walter, and the Summer of Miles podcast.

Press Contact / Sponsorship Inquiries: Pat Price sirwalterrunning@gmail.com 919-783-7660