Longest Night Mile

Longest Night Mile is run on the Phoenix High School track in Phoenix, Jackson County, Oregon, on December 21, 2026. The format is a one-mile race, four laps of the track, starting at 6:00 p.m., and it is split into several heats so runners of every level have company at their own pace. Awards go to the top three in each age group, with an additional prize for exceptional times.

Track miles are the purest form of racing: no hills, no turns to guess at, and a split every 400 meters to tell you exactly how you are doing. Pick a realistic target, divide it by four, and try to run the first lap no faster than that number, because going out hard on lap one is the classic mile mistake. A few weeks of 400-meter repeats at goal mile pace, with equal jog recovery, is the most useful preparation you can do.