Runners Sam Prakel and Nikki Hiltz cross the finish line at the Grand Blue Mile in Des Moines, April 25, 2023.Photo: Drake Relays
(Des Moines, IA) -- Part of 13th Street, in downtown Des Moines street will be renamed World Record Way in honor of the 2023 Grand Blue Mile. The results are in the process of official ratification by World Athletics.
Nikki Hiltz finished first in the Women's US Road Mile Championships and set a course record during the Grand Blue Mile April 25th, with a time of 4:27.97. Sam Prakel was the top finisher among men with a time of 4:01.21. It was Prakels' second road mile national championship in Des Moines.
"For more than a century, the world's greatest athletes have traveled to Des Moines to test themselves at the Drake Relays. These two world records are another page in the history of one of the world's most iconic athletic events," said Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays. "Of the sixteen world records set at the Drake Relays, these take on special meaning because they were set on our city streets in a community event, surrounded by thousands of participants and fans."
The Des Moines City Council has formally approved the honorary naming of 13th Street as "World Record Way" between Grand Avenue and Locust Street will serve to celebrate the proud legacy of the Grand Blue Mile. This segment of 13th Street is just beyond the finish line of the Grand Blue Mile and is where thousands of community runners and walkers complete their very own one mile.