Nick Willis last night showed at the mecca of New Zealand mile racing just why he has an Olympic Medal and three Commonwealth medals to his name as well as the national 1500m record.
Willis trounced the field of top New Zealanders and a few Australians at the Cooks Classic mile in Wanganui on Tuesday evening, running 3:55.56, and demonstrated why he is respected the world over for his middle distance running.
Running well inside the magic four minute mile barrier, the Michigan based Hutt Valley athlete became the first to record five sub four minute miles at Cooks Gardens, first made famous by Peter Snell when he broke the world record fifty four years ago.
Before the race, Willis was tied on four with another world mile record holder, Sir John Walker (1974 - 1985) and Hamish Christensen (1997 - 2001).
Behind Willis' 3:55.56, fellow Kiwis Hamish Carson (3:56.72) and Eric Speakman (3:57.30) ran personal bests to secure the 62nd and 63rd sub four minute miles at the renowned track.