We’re assuming the bulk of our readership feels similarly about the announcement of Nike’s Breaking4 initiative as our writership. Something along the lines of:

Any time Faith Kipyegon lines up to race a 1500m or mile, it’s appointment viewing. Given what’s being promised by Nike for her Paris sub-four attempt in June (perfect pacing, even better footwear, presumably a host of other well-funded measures aimed to propel the greatest woman miler of all time into uncharted territory) there’s a chance she runs faster than her current PB and world record of 4:07.64, perhaps by a lot. But 7.65 seconds is more than a lot in the context of the world’s best middle distance runners. It represents a borderline insurmountable chasm, and it’s unlikely Kipyegon will dip below four minutes on that track this June. All that said, we’re sure as hell going to be tuning in with great interest to watch her try, and see just how fast she can go. Sub-four isn’t impossible; it’s unlikely, and that’s why this makes for such a compelling concept.

There’s likely a subset of more optimistic Lap Counters out there who have preemptively scrawled “first women’s sub-four mile” under a few days in June on their wall calendars. Those of you who fall into this camp need no further pep talk. Go forth and enjoy what may be the most exciting day of your life.

No, this section is for the jaded, the haters, the doubters, the skeptics, the brand-exhausted, and those who felt personally vindicated when Kipchoge failed to break two-hours in his first billed sub-two marathon attempt.

There is nothing inherently wrong with viewing the whole Breaking4 thing through that lens, and without listing them here, there are dozens of reasonable issues one might have with the whole spectacle. But like it or not, it’s happening – and it’s getting attention.

You can do your best to avoid Breaking4 discourse over next few months, only occasionally scoffing or shaking your head when faced with the fanfare. But truthfully, you will almost certainly be subsumed—fully or partially—by the hype train, to the point of begrudgingly firing up the live stream of Kipyegon’s shot at a sub-four.

Once there, consider the following:

— Kipyegon has little left to accomplish from conventional achievements. She has both the 1500m/mile world records, Olympic and World golds, and not much left on the to-do list at the distance. Aside from moving outside her prime distance, when was the last time we saw her try something truly new?

— Should she fall off pace, you then are treated to the heroically humanizing effort of the event’s GOAT struggling to the finish line—when was the last time we saw Kipyegon anything other than in-control and composed at the conclusion of a race, win or lose?

— One of our biggest recurring complaints is that too often, the sport’s biggest stars are cagey or vague about their schedules and goals. Kipyegon deserves credit for headlining an exciting new event, and allowing for months of ramp-up to promote it.

— Aren’t you curious to see how far into 1609m Kipyegon can get at 3:59.99 pace? Is there anything you do in your own life where you are truly able to discern what your absolute limit is?

— Whether or not Kipyegon succeeds, the event will be an intriguing live-action trial of the benefits of various innovations that are largely discussed in theory. How much exactly does rotating pacers help? Will we see another leap forward in shoe technology? What other tricks do the sports scientists involved have cooking?

Ultimately, pursuit of perfection is sort of the reason we watch sports in the first place—this is just that experience, distilled to its purest, pupil-dilating form. But beyond the binary of success or failure is a lot of intriguing content to unpack with this proposal, and all it’ll cost is four-ish minutes of your viewing time.

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