Last night I raced the Atlanta Track Club (ATC) Grand Prix 1 Mile. This was the third event of the 2025 ATC Grand Prix series and took place during one of their All Comers Track & Field Meets. The last time they included a track mile in the Grand Prix series was in 2018. This was my peak race for my most recent training cycle.

Official time

6:32

VDOT

45.8 (82°F)

Splits

Lap 1 (409.344m)

1:37 (6:21/mi)

Lap 2 (400m)

1:39 (6:38/mi)

Lap 3 (400m)

1:40 (6:42/mi)

Lap 4 (400m)

1:36 (6:26/mi)

Ranking

Overall

117/237

Male

93/149

Age Group (M40–44)

10/12

Event Page

Grand Prix 1 Mile

Strava Activity

ATC Grand Prix 1 Mile

Through ATC I have some experience racing the one mile distance, though the last time I raced it was in 2020 before I injured my foot (and then my knee, and then my foot again). My strategy then was to take the first quarter mile focused on being fast and fluid, but not straining myself, and then try to pick up the pace every quarter mile after. That was my strategy this time, even though I’m less fit now than I was then. Ideally, with this strategy, I run negative splits without being too conservative at the start. At worst, trying to speed up each quarter mile fights the natural slow down that occurs.

This time, that strategy worked in that I was fighting the slow down. My first lap was my fastest, but my last lap was just a touch slower, with my middle two the slowest. I feel good about that. I’m happy I had a strong last lap, and I didn’t go out too slow, which I think is the greater mistake at such a short distance. Could I have pushed harder in the middle? Probably? Maybe?

My race result is a Jack Daniels VDOT score of 45.8, my best since 2023’s Jerome Scales 5 miler.