Press Release: Final Fields set for the 2026 Sir Walter Miler

Final Fields set for 2026 Sir Walter Miler

August 5, 2026 – Raleigh, North Carolina – Sir Walter Running is excited to announce the final Men’s and Women’s Elite Fields for the 2026 Sir Walter Miler, which will be held Friday, August 7, 2026. The event is at 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 is a part of the World Athletics Continental Tour.

“Raleigh continues to support the event en masse and top athletes have made this a stop on their schedules because the energy is top tier. Adding 2024 Olympian and 3:46.90 miler Hobbs Kessler shows the top pros want to be in Raleigh on the first Friday of August every year,” said Pat Price, co-founder of the event, which started in 2013.

The 2026 Elite fields include Olympians, National Champions, and Local Favorites highlight star studded fields for the annual event.

In the Men’s Elite Field, the aforementioned Kessler leads with the best personal best of any athlete to ever run the event. 2024 Champion Waleed Suliman returns in pursuit of the State Record he once held, 3:50.80, set last year by On Athletics Club’s Ky Robinson. Under Armour Dark Sky’s Abe Alvarado will be taking aim at his own Mexican National Record. Raleigh’s own Carson Williams adds some local flavor after his Silver Medal performance in the 3000m Steeplechase at the USATF Outdoor meet recently.

The Women’s Elite Field features American Record Holder, Sinclaire Johnson, returning to Raleigh for the first time in five years. Johnson ran the fastest ever mile by an American last year in London, finishing in 4:16.32. Two Olympians also highlight the field in Sir Walter alum Heather MacLean (2021) and Juliette Whittaker (2024). 2026 World Indoor Championship Qualifier, Margot Appleton, and high school sensation, Charlize-Trinity McKenzie, will add depth.

“This year’s women’s field is the deepest we have had in our 13 year history. From Olympians to young pros just out of college, everyone is looking good and could be in the mix for the win,” said Women’s Elite Coordinator Jeff Caron.

The 2026 Sir Walter Miler weekend will consist of events through Saturday. On Friday night, the Sir Walter carnival will start at Meredith at 6pm. Before the Elite Races, there will be annually-contested Staker Chiropractic & Associates 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 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.

Remaining Sir Walter Miler Week Schedule

• Wednesday – Elite Athlete Panel at Hartwell (6PM)
• Friday – Sir Walter Miler (6pm)
• Saturday – 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 – Summer of Miles Run Club Mile
• 8:40pm – Staker Chiropractic & Associates Run Club 4×400 Relay
• 8:45pm – Fans allowed on infield to line the track
• 9:00pm – National Anthem
• 9:15pm – Trail Ridge Financial Women’s Elite Mile
• 9:30pm – Brooks Running Men’s Elite Mile
• 9:40pm – Awards Ceremony on the Meredith College Track
• 9:55pm – Post Party starts at Raleigh Brewing Company

2026 Trail Ridge Financial Elite Women’s Field

• Sinclaire Johnson – HOKA
• Heather MacLean – adidas
• Annika Reiss – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Margot Appleton – New Balance Boston
• Christina Aragon – Nike Swoosh TC
• Kayley DeLay – Brooks Beasts TC
• Teagan Schein-Becker – Brooks Beasts TC
• Carlee Hansen – Nike Swoosh TC
• Juliette Whittaker – Brooks Beasts TC
• Angelina Ellis – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Lindsey Butler – Bandit
• Madie Boreman – Bandit
• Carmen Alder
• Charlize-Trinity McKenzie (Sir Walter Qualifier)
• Hannah Ballowe (Pace)

2026 Brooks Running Elite Men’s Field

• Abe Alvarado – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Davis Bove – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Colin Kelly – Empire Elite
• Sean McGorty – Nike
• Nick Plant
• Waleed Suliman – Brooks Beasts
• Carson Williams – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Luke Houser – adidas / Atlanta Track Club
• Eric Holt – Empire Elite
• Ben Allen – Empire Elite
• Kasey Knevelbaard – Under Armour Dark Sky
• Hobbs Kessler – adidas
• Aidan Ryan – adidas / Atlanta Track Club
• Joe Bistritz (Sir Walter Qualifier)
• Christian Jackson – Nike (Pace)

Summer of Miles Run Club Mile

• Meagan Arguien – Crank Arm Run Club Durham
• Anna Barjenbruch – Pelagic Run Club
• Thomas Boyers – Gibbons TC
• Jordan Hunsaker – Crank Arm Run Club Durham
• Patrick Ivey – Wolves on the Run
• Ian Johnson – Without Limits
• Marcus Jones – Crank Arm Run Club Raleigh
• Kelly Kennedy – Without Limits
• Sarah Kiehle – Pelagic Run Club
• Sarah Leach – Virginia Tech Club Running
• Tavyn Lovitt – Crank Arm Run Club Raleigh
• Merrie Mosedale – North Carolina Roadrunners Club
• Isaiah Rowley – Oak City Run Club
• Kevin Rumsey – Pursuit Of Excellence Track
• Alan Sigmon – Bunker Hill Track Club
• Martha Crotts – TRIANGLE
• Hans O’Rourke – TRIANGLE
• Andrea Gallegos – ChicknLegs RC
• Evan Rodriguez – TRIANGLE
• Kristen Ammon – Bull City Track Club
• Jeff Knox – TBD
• William Hartshorn – Without Limits
• Beau Brebner – Bull City Track Club
• Krew Erwin – Wake Prep Academy
• Emilia Oblites – ChicknLegs RC
• Alex Gray – Bull City Track Club
• Sarah Leach – Virginia Tech Club Running

Staker Chiropractic & Associates Run Club 4x400m Relay

• Bull City Track Club
• ChicknLegs RC
• Crank Arm Run Club Durham
• Crank Arm Run Club Raleigh
• Fortnight Run Club
• Nacho Average Run Club
• PELAGIC RUN CLUB
• Ponysaurus x Fleet Feet Run Club
• Pursuit Of Excellence Track
• Triangle Run Smart
• Triangle Turtles and Hares
• Wolves on the Run
• TRIANGLE
• Pink Panther TC
• ChicknLegs RC
• Raleigh Brewing Co.

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 97 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 49 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 at the time. In 2025, 9 American Women broke the 4:30 barrier, breaking our previous record.
• 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. Ewoi’s time was the fastest Outdoor Mile ever run on U.S. soil.
• The Women’s Record is 4:19.71 (Dorcus Ewoi ’24) and the Men’s Record is 3:50.80 (Ky Robinson ’25). Both times are North Carolina Outdoor State Records.

Sponsors of the 2026 Sir Walter Miler are Brooks Running, Trail Ridge Financial, Running Mate, Staker Chiropractic & Associates, LEVER Movement, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, Think Promotional Group, Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, ChicknLegs, Athletic Brewing Co. and Trophy Brewing.

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