An athlete of the University of Colorado Boulder track team attempting to break the school record on the Men’s Mile during the Colorado Classic at CU Indoor Practice Facility on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. (Scott Tan/CU Independent)
He’s going the distance; he’s going for speed. Isaiah Givens, a University of Colorado redshirt sophomore, was one of three athletes Saturday, Jan. 18 to run a sub four minute mile nearly a mile above sea level. The athletes are the first to break that time barrier in Colorado.
Hundreds of fans filled the stands at CU Boulder’s Indoor Practice Facility to watch the premier event of the Colorado Classic, one of three indoor home meets for CU Track and Field this year. To add to the hype, the miles six runners were introduced to the walkout music of the Chicago Bulls, as the lights were shut off, and bursts of fire shot out from flame projectors.
As the gun went off, Givens, CSU Pueblo’s Reece Sharman-Newell and unaffiliated runner Yasin Sado quickly emerged as the leaders of the pack. By the last lap, it was clear all three men’s attempt at the new record would come down to milliseconds.
Sharman-Newell crossed the finish line at 3:59.39, immediately followed by Sado at 3:59.57 and just under the wire, Givens came in at 3:59.97. Sharman-Newell would get the centennial state’s new record, while Givens would walk away with the record for the Buffs.
While the fastest time Givens has run in the mile is 3:55.9, his 3:59.97 mile in Boulder earns a 3:54.12 altitude conversion, lowering the school record he’d already set. To account for thinner air, the NCAA shaves off seconds from official race times, in Givens case it was 5.85 seconds.
With his performance at the Colorado Classic, Givens is now ranked No. 4 in the mile for NCAA Division One this season.
Givens and the Buffs will return to the Indoor Practice Facility for their final home meet, The Colorado Invitational, Jan. 31 and Feb.1.
Contact CU Independent managing editor Lincoln Roch at Lincoln.Roch@colorado.edu.
