By Chris Chavez
December 23, 2025
Meet organizers announced NCAA 5000m record holder Jane Hedengren and NCAA steeplechase record holder and two-time NCAA cross country champion Doris Lemngole will run the 3000m at the 2026 Millrose Games at the Armory in New York City on Feb. 1.
The Millrose Games are the second stop in the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold calendar.
They will be racing against professionals including Josette Andrews, who was sixth at the World Championships in the 5000m. At last year’s meet, Andrews finished second to Whittni Morgan (8:28.03) in 8:29.77, which moved her to No. 7 on the U.S. all-time list.
The full field will be announced at a later date.
Here’s what you need to know:
– Hedengren is the NCAA freshman sensation out of BYU. Two weeks after her runner-up finish at NCAA Cross Country Championships, Hedengren delivered a dominant 14:44.79 win at the BU Season Opener on Dec. 6, breaking both the indoor and outdoor collegiate records for 5000m. She closed out the race with a 66-second final 400m split.
– The previous indoor record was 14:52.57 by Lemngole at the same meet in 2024. Hedengren’s time was also faster than Parker Valby’s outdoor collegiate record of 14:52.18, which was run in 2024.
– The performance moved Hedengren to No. 2 on the U.S. all-time indoor list and No. 11 on the world all-time list.
– As a high schooler, she broke nine U.S. high school national records including running 14:57.93 to become the first high school girl under 15 minutes for 5000m. She ran her 15:13.26 U.S. high school indoor 5000m record at the Armory in March.
– Hedengren spoke about racing Lemngole and returning to the Armory on the CITIUS MAG Podcast: “It will be fun to see the field when it comes out…I love that distance. I've only run one 3000m. I've run a few two-miles, but that is such a fun distance to run. I think it will be a perfect mix of speed but also a little bit of endurance. Having that competitive field is going to be so much fun. The Armory is absolutely electric and has such an amazing track. I’m really looking forward to my time at Millrose and getting the opportunity to compete.”
– Lemngole, a junior at Alabama, is coming off her best year yet and was just awarded the Bowerman, collegiate track and field's most prestigious award, for her 2024-2025 success. She made history as the first Kenyan woman to earn the honor.
– In the past 12 months, she won national titles in the indoor 5000 meters and the 3000m steeplechase outdoors (breaing records in both events), notched a national runner-up finish in the indoor 3000m, claimed SEC titles in the indoor 3000m, 3000m steeplechase, and the outdoor 5,000m, and then successfully defended her cross country national title. She is the first woman since Villanova’s Sheila Reid (2010 and 2011) to win back-to-back cross country crowns.
– Outside of the NCAA, Lemngole was the runner-up at the Kenyan national championships in the steeplechase, which earned her a spot at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Before making her global championship debut, she collected a victory at the Lausanne Diamond League in brutally rainy conditions. She went on to take fifth at Words in Tokyo.
– The Millrose Games will be Lemngole’s Armory debut.
– Hedengren and Lemngole have never before raced head-to-head on the track.
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Chris Chavez
Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and on Feb. 15th, 2025 finally broke five minutes for the mile.




