Owen Powell to Race Mile at 50th Pre Classic

The Mercer Island High School graduate will join an exclusive club of high school milers who went on to compete at the Prefontaine Classic. Powell will compete in the International Mile alongside professional and collegiate runners on July 5th. 

International Mile Start List

Earlier this year, Powell ran a 3:56.66 indoor mile at the Terrier DMR Challenge, making him the fourth-fastest U.S. high school miler in history. He carried this momentum into the outdoor season, capturing the elusive Arcadia 3200m invitational win. Additionally, his 1:46.63 in the 800m makes him the sixth-fastest high schooler of all time.

Most recently, he made history in the 1500m with the second-fastest time in U.S. high school history. Pros and NCAA athletes pushed him to run 3:36.49 at the Portland Track Festival.  In that same race, Josiah Tostenson,  future University of Washington teammate, ran the third-fastest all-time high school 1500m mark at 3:36.85. 

Sam Ruthe, a Nike NIL high schooler from New Zealand, will also toe the line with Powell. Ruthe became the youngest person ever to break four minutes in the mile earlier this year at only 15 years old. Powell and Ruthe raced for the first time in the Arcadia Invitational 3200m, where Powell used his speed to out-kick the entire field. 

Powell's combination of undeniable speed and impressive strength will naturally raise the question of whether Alan Webb's 3:53.43 high school record is in jeopardy. Fans will even speculate all week that Jim Ryun's No. 2 all-time mark of 3:55.30 from 1965 could be surpassed. 

U.S. High School Boys All-Time Mile List

This Saturday, we'll find out at the 50th edition of the Prefontaine Classic live on NBC and Peacock beginning at 1pm PST. Tune in to The Athlete's Lounge on FloTrack during the event for a unique alternative viewing experience featuring Olympians English Gardner and Matthew Centrowitz.