Last week, Irish masters runner Anne Gilshinan made history at the 2024 World Masters Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, by becoming the first woman over 60 to run a sub-five-minute metric mile. Gilshinan clinched gold for Ireland in the W60+ 1,500m, clocking an impressive 4:59.45 to break both the championship and world records.
Having just moved into the women’s 60-64 age category in April, Gilshinan already held six W55-59 records, including the 1,500m record of 4:41.46. The previous W60+ record of 5:02.38, set by American masters runner Sue McDonald last fall at the Nevada Senior Games, was shattered by Gilshinan’s performance.
The 60-year-old from Wexford, Ireland, dominated her competition, winning the race by a remarkable 18 seconds. To put her achievement in perspective, she averaged a speed of 18 km/h and a pace of 3:19 per kilometre.
The metric mile refers to the 1,500-metre event. The 1,500m is often considered the equivalent of the mile (1,609.34 metres) in metric terms and is a standard middle-distance race in athletics.
What’s her secret? 🤔
We asked Anne Gilshinan of Slaney Olympic after she SMASHED the Irish over-55 3000m record, clocking 10:36.26 to win gold in Santry.
🔥🥇🔥 pic.twitter.com/w2YQhA2CYO— Athletics Ireland (@irishathletics) September 6, 2020
According to the Irish Independent, Gilshinan was a runner in her youth but took a long hiatus from the sport before returning to it in her 50s.
In 2023, Gilshinan was named Masters Athlete of the Year by European Athletics and also received national masters honours in Ireland.
