Millrose Games
The Millrose Games are an annual indoor athletics meet held each February in New York City. Among the world's most prestigious indoor track meets, the games started taking place at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011.
The games were started when employees of the New York City branch of Wanamaker's department store formed the Millrose Track Club to hold a meet.
Today, the Millrose Games feature elite competitions for athletes at all levels, including youth, club, masters, high school, collegiate, and professional levels.
The featured event is the Wanamaker Mile.
History
The Millrose Games began in 1908 at a local armory the same year when its parent, the Millrose Athletic Association, was formed as a recreational club by the employees of the John Wanamaker Department Store. "Millrose" was the name of the country home of Rodman Wanamaker in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania.In 1914, after overflowing the armory the year before, the Millrose Games moved to Madison Square Garden, and until 2011 was the oldest continuous sporting event held there. For 10 years beginning in 1916, the Wanamaker 1 ½ Mile race was a highlight of the meet. Run for the last time in 1925, the final edition was won by Paavo Nurmi, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist from Finland. In 1926, the distance was shortened, and the Wanamaker Mile was born. It has often been run at 10 p.m., a carryover from the days beginning in the 1930s when noted sports announcer Ted Husing would broadcast the race live on his 10 p.m. radio show.
The Wanamaker Mile has been won by over 44 different men, including Glenn Cunningham, Kip Keino, Tony Waldrop, Filbert Bayi, Steve Scott, Noureddine Morceli, Bernard Lagat, Marcus O'Sullivan, Ron Delany, and Eamonn Coghlan. Coghlan was known as the “Chairman of the Boards” for his dominance on the old wooden Millrose track and won the mile seven times, a feat surpassed only by Bernard Lagat, who won his eighth Wanamaker Mile in 2010.
Some highlights in Millrose history include Ray Conger's 1929 upset win over Nurmi in the Wanamaker Mile; pole vaulter Cornelius Warmerdam becoming the first person to vault indoors, in 1942; John Thomas hitting the first high jump, in 1959; Mary Decker’s run to a 1500-meter World Indoor Record to encouragement from the crowd, in 1980; John Uelses becoming the first person to pole vault the height of 16 feet; Carl Lewis in 1984 breaking the World Indoor Record with a jump of, 10.25 inches, a mark that still stands; Eamonn Coghlan notching his then record seventh Wanamaker Mile in 1987; Bernard Lagat breaking Coghlan's record with his eighth Wanamaker Mile triumph in 2010, and Stacy Dragila setting a late-night pole vault world record in 2001.
For 70 of its first 96 years, the role of Millrose meet director was a father-son affair: Fred Schmertz directed the meet in 1934, passing on that position to his son Howard in 1975. In 2003, the title of Meet Director Emeritus was bestowed on the younger Schmertz.
In May 2011 Norbert Sanders, the President of the Millrose Games, announced that, starting January 2012, the games would be moved to the Armory in Washington Heights, at 168th Street, and that a new all-day Saturday schedule would replace the Friday evening format.
The Millrose Games, operated by The Armory Foundation, are also notable for their rigid anti-doping policies. In 2017, Millrose race director Ray Flynn told an ESPN reporter, "We have a mandate that we don't invite any athlete that has had any drug history in their past. We want to keep our meet free of any athlete that really has a violation."
The Millrose Games were first added to the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold Standard in 2022.
At the 2023 Millrose Games, Dr. Anthony Fauci attended and was honored with The Armory's Presidents Award.
At the 2024 Millrose Games, the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, was given The Armory's Presidents Award.
Editions
| Name | Date | ||
| 1908 47th Regiment Armory Games | 7 Feb 1908 | ||
| 1909 47th Regiment Armory Games | 16 Jan 1909 | ||
| 1910 Wanamaker Games | 29 Jan 1910 | ||
| 1911 Millrose Games | 22 Feb 1911 | ||
| 1912 Millrose Games | 20 Jan 1912 | ||
| 1913 Millrose Games | 18 Jan 1913 | ||
| 1914 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 1914 | ||
| 1915 Millrose Games | 14 Jan 1915 | ||
| 1916 Millrose Games | 26 Jan 1916 | ||
| 1917 Millrose Games | 24 Jan 1917 | ||
| 1918 Millrose Games | 23 Jan 1918 | ||
| 1919 Millrose Games | 25 Feb 1919 | ||
| 1920 Millrose Games | 10 Feb 1920 | ||
| 1921 Millrose Games | 8 Feb 1921 | ||
| 1922 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 1922 | ||
| 1923 Millrose Games | 31 Jan 1923 | ||
| 1924 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 1924 | ||
| 1925 Millrose Games | 27 Jan 1925 | ||
| 1926 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 1926 | ||
| 1927 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1927 | ||
| 1928 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1928 | ||
| 1929 Millrose Games | 9 Feb 1929 | ||
| 1930 Millrose Games | 8 Feb 1930 | ||
| 1931 Millrose Games | 7 Feb 1931 | ||
| 1932 Millrose Games | 6 Feb 1932 | ||
| 1933 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 1933 | ||
| 1934 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 1934 | ||
| 1935 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1935 | ||
| 1936 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 1936 | ||
| 1937 Millrose Games | 6 Feb 1937 | ||
| 1938 Millrose Games | 5 Feb 1938 | ||
| 1939 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 1939 | ||
| 1940 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 1940 | ||
| 1941 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 1941 | ||
| 1942 Millrose Games | 7 Feb 1942 | ||
| 1943 Millrose Games | 6 Feb 1943 | ||
| 1944 Millrose Games | 5 Feb 1944 | ||
| 1945 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 1945 | ||
| 1946 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1946 | ||
| 1947 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 1947 | ||
| 1948 Millrose Games | 31 Jan 1948 | ||
| 1949 Millrose Games | 29 Jan 1949 | ||
| 1950 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 1950 | ||
| 1951 Millrose Games | 27 Jan 1951 | ||
| 1952 Millrose Games | 26 Jan 1952 | ||
| 1953 Millrose Games | 29 Jan 1953 | ||
| 1954 Millrose Games | 6 Feb 1954 | ||
| 1955 Millrose Games | 5 Feb 1955 | ||
| 1956 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 1956 | ||
| 1957 Millrose Games | 9 Feb 1957 | ||
| 1958 Millrose Games | 8 Feb 1958 | ||
| 1959 Millrose Games | 31 Jan 1959 | ||
| 1960 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 1960 | ||
| 1961 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 1961 | ||
| 1962 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1962 | ||
| 1963 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 1963 | ||
| 1964 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 1964 | ||
| 1965 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 1965 | ||
| 1966 Millrose Games | 27 Jan 1966 | ||
| 1967 Millrose Games | 26 Jan 1967 |
| Name | Date | ||
| 1968 Millrose Games | 25 Jan 1968 | ||
| 1969 Millrose Games | 31 Jan 1969 | ||
| 1970 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 1970 | ||
| 1971 Millrose Games | 29 Jan 1971 | ||
| 1972 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 1972 | ||
| 1973 Millrose Games | 26 Jan 1973 | ||
| 1974 Millrose Games | 25 Jan 1974 | ||
| 1975 Millrose Games | 31 Jan 1975 | ||
| 1976 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 1976 | ||
| 1977 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 1977 | ||
| 1978 Millrose Games | 27 Jan 1978 | ||
| 1979 Millrose Games | 9 Feb 1979 | ||
| 1980 Millrose Games | 8 Feb 1980 | ||
| 1981 Millrose Games | 6 Feb 1981 | ||
| 1982 Millrose Games | 12 Feb 1982 | ||
| 1983 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 1983 | ||
| 1984 Millrose Games | 27 Jan 1984 | ||
| 1985 Millrose Games | 25 Jan 1985 | ||
| 1986 Millrose Games | 14 Feb 1986 | ||
| 1987 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 1987 | ||
| 1988 Millrose Games | 5 Feb 1988 | ||
| 1989 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 1989 | ||
| 1990 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1990 | ||
| 1991 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 1991 | ||
| 1992 Millrose Games | 7 Feb 1992 | ||
| 1993 Millrose Games | 5 Feb 1993 | ||
| 1994 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 1994 | ||
| 1995 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 1995 | ||
| 1996 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 1996 | ||
| 1997 Millrose Games | 7 Feb 1997 | ||
| 1998 Millrose Games | 13 Feb 1998 | ||
| 1999 Millrose Games | 5 Feb 1999 | ||
| 2000 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 2000 | ||
| 2001 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 2001 | ||
| 2002 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 2002 | ||
| 2003 Millrose Games | 7 Feb 2003 | ||
| 2004 Millrose Games | 6 Feb 2004 | ||
| 2005 Millrose Games | 4 Feb 2005 | ||
| 2006 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 2006 | ||
| 2007 Millrose Games | 2 Feb 2007 | ||
| 2008 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 2008 | ||
| 2009 Millrose Games | 30 Jan 2009 | ||
| 2010 Millrose Games | 29 Jan 2010 | ||
| 2011 Millrose Games | 28 Jan 2011 | ||
| 2012 Millrose Games | 11 Feb 2012 | ||
| 2013 Millrose Games | 16 Feb 2013 | ||
| 2014 Millrose Games | 15 Feb 2014 | ||
| 2015 Millrose Games | 14 Feb 2015 | ||
| 2016 Millrose Games | 20 Feb 2016 | ||
| 2017 Millrose Games | 11 Feb 2017 | ||
| 2018 Millrose Games | 3 Feb 2018 | ||
| 2019 Millrose Games | 9 Feb 2019 | ||
| 2020 Millrose Games | 8 Feb 2020 | ||
| 2021 Millrose Games | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2022 Millrose Games | 29 Jan 2022 | ||
| 2023 Millrose Games | 11 Feb 2023 | ||
| 2024 Millrose Games | 11 Feb 2024 | ||
| 2025 Millrose Games | 8 Feb 2025 | ||
| 2026 Millrose Games | 1 Feb 2026 |