John Gregorek Jr.

Johnny Gregorek Jr. (born December 7, 1991) is an American middle-distance runner.[1] He competed in the 2017 World Championships in the 1500, where he placed 10th in a time of 3:37.56. As of May 2020, Gregorek holds the world record for the fastest Blue Jean Mile, ran in a time of 4:06.25.[2]

Johnny Gregorek Jr.
Johnny Gregorek
Personal information
Born (1991-12-07) December 7, 1991
Seekonk, Massachusetts
Height6 ft (183 cm)
Weight149 lb (68 kg)
Sport
SportTrack
Event(s)1500 meters, Mile, 800 meters
College teamColumbia University, Oregon Ducks
ClubAsics/New Jersey-New York TC
Turned pro2015
Achievements and titles
World finals10th, London 2017
Personal best(s)1500m-3:35.00 1 Mile-3:49.98
Medal record
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place2019 Lima1500 m
Updated on 8/11/2019.

Running career

Gregorek was raised in Seekonk, Massachusetts,[3] where he helped Seekonk High School win the state cross country title.[4] He earned a degree from Columbia University in 2014,[5] then, taking advantage of an NCAA rule which allows athletes to transfer to another school for a fifth year of competition, joined the Oregon Ducks.[3]

Gregorek finished in 6th place at the 2016 US Olympic Trials.[6] In 2017, he qualified for the World Championships in London for 1500m, where he finished 10th, following his 3rd-place finish at the US Championships.[7] In 2019, he ran 3:49.98 for 1 mile at Boston University,[8] making his time second on the All-Time American Indoor Mile list.[9] He and his father share the record for the fastest father-son mile duo in world history.[10][11]

Personal Bests
Surface Event Time Date Venue Notes
Outdoor track 800m 1:46.81 June 11, 2021 Coatesville, PA
1500m 3:34.49 July 25, 2021 Azusa, CA
One mile 3:52.94 June 13, 2019 Bislett Stadium
One Mile Road 3:46.7 July 23, 2022 Cleveland, OH Not Legal
Indoor track 1000m 2:19.78 January 26, 2019 The Armory
One mile 3:49.98 March 3, 2019 Boston University
3000m 7:49.93 January 28, 2017 New York, NY

Blue Jeans Mile

On May 30, 2020, Gregorek ran what is believed to be the fastest mile ever run by someone wearing blue jeans in 4 minutes and 6.25 seconds, beating the previous world record by five seconds. Gregorek ran the Blue Jean Mile wearing 100% cotton Levi's, while raising over $37,500 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He ran the mile in memory of his younger brother Patrick, who died suddenly in March 2019 after struggling with mental health.[12]

Personal

Gregorek's father John Gregorek competed in steeplechase for the 1980 and 1984 Olympic teams.[3] His mother, Christine Mullen,[13] was an Olympic trials finalist[14] and competed in the 1980s for Athletics West in Eugene, Oregon.[3]

In January 2019, Gregorek married Amy Nunes.[15]

Notes
  1. "Athlete Profile: John Gregorek". IAAF. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  2. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: BLUE JEAN MILE WORLD RECORD: JOHNNY GREGOREK RUNS 4:06.25 IN LEVI'S. YouTube.
  3. Goe, Ken (3 February 2015). "Transfer track star Johnny Gregorek is making himself at home in Eugene". Oregon Live. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  4. "2015 Track & Field Roster". Go Ducks. University of Oregon Athletics. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  5. "John Gregorek - Cross Country". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  6. "TFRRS | 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Men 1500m Run Track & Field Meet Results". www.tfrrs.org. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  7. "TFRRS | USATF Championships Men 1500m Run SR Track & Field Meet Results". www.tfrrs.org. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  8. "Yomif Kejelcha Blasts 3:47.01 Mile World Record, Gregorek Goes 3:49 - FloTrack".
  9. "All-Time Lists - Mile History". Bring Back the Mile. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  10. Kopet, Adam (February 28, 2017). "Johnny Gregorek's Big Run in Boston Makes Him and His Father the Fastest Father-Son Duo in History". runnerspace.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  11. "Father-Son Sub-4 Combo Club - Mile History". Bring Back the Mile. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
  12. "Johnny Gregorek Sets the Record for a Mile—Run in Blue Jeans". 31 May 2020.
  13. "Proud Seekonk Grandpa and other local sports notes". The Sun Chronicle. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  14. Waldron, Jon (3 October 2008). "Is it Time for Johnny Gregorek?". NNHS Track and Cross-Country. Retrieved 7 December 2017. He is the son of Christine Gregorek, an Olympic Trials finalist and still owner of a share of the U.S. 4x800m record, and John, an Olympian in the steeplechase in 1984, and owner of a 3:51 mile PR and 8:18 steeple PR.
  15. Hollobaugh, Jeff. "Late-Blooming Gregorek Breaks 3:50 Barrier". Track & Field News. Retrieved 2020-03-01.
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