It was almost 41 years after the first official world record in the men’s mile was recognized by World Athletics (then the International Amateur Athletics Federation) that Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier. In the seven decades since Bannister – who was actively completing his doctoral residency while training for his legendary run – covered 1,609.34 meters in less than four minutes, another 2,166 men have matched his accomplishment. On Saturday, Florida freshman Riley Smith etched his name into the annals of history and joined that group.
“A lot of it was relief,” Smith said on crossing the finish line at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 31. “I’ve been through a lot of injuries and setbacks over the last couple years, and that was the start of what is to come for me this year.”
The first setback put in Smith’s path came just a few months after he moved crosstown from Buchholz High School to UF in the fall of 2024. He raced in two of the Gators’ first three cross country meets and ran well, but nagging pain in his hip flexors forced his season to be cut short.
As that issue faded, a new one popped up in Smith’s upper abdomen in the spring. He tried pushing through, competing unattached in a 1,500-meter race at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational on April 18.
“The race was okay, but I still felt like there was something off,” Smith said. “I went and got more scans done and I had a gallbladder disease, and I also had an umbilical hernia at the same time.”
Dual abdominal surgeries in July set off another period of recovery for Smith, but it was one in which he says he was quickly “ahead of schedule.” He raced a full cross country season, starting just two months post-operation on Sept. 26, but never felt fully himself or like he was truly competing in any of his four races.
Winter break proved to be a turning point in Smith’s return to form.
“I’ve been doing a full volume of everything,” Smith said of his training since the end of the cross country season. “I’ve been able to push hard, I haven’t had to stop workouts, I’m basically training just like everyone else is.”
With his legs back under him for the first time in well over a year, Smith lined up for a 1,000-meter race at the Jimmy Carnes University Invite on Jan. 16. In his first race representing the Gators on the track, he finished third in 2:22.09, just a half-second off the win.
“The one-K told us he was in pretty good shape,” Florida assistant distance coach Will Palmer said. “It was more a reminder that this guy’s a pretty big competitor and knows how to finish at the front of races and have a shot to win.”
The next time Smith stepped on the track, the goal wasn’t a solid rust buster or to just get a good time out there. With his teammate Gavin Nelson set to pace the third heat of the mile in Fayetteville, the target was sub-four.
“There were a lot of guys in there that hadn’t broken four, but their coaches thought they were capable, so we called it the ‘first-timers race,’” Palmer said.
Smith was patient in the early stages of the race. As Nelson led the pack through the kilometer mark, he was in fifth. When the leader hit the bell lap, Smith was three-quarters-of-a-second behind Michigan freshman Henry Dixon.
“A common theme with my racing is the later I get into the race, the more confident I get,” Smith said. “I know when there’s less time left, I’m gearing up and I’m ready to go in that last lap.”
His confidence was not unwarranted.
On the first turn, he overtook Michigan junior Camden Law on the outside. With 100 meters to go, there was still a sizable gap to Dixon and Oklahoma State sophomore Will Muirhead. Undeterred, Smith kept pushing. As the leading trio turned onto the home straight, Smith swung wide into lane three, his surge coming in stark contrast to Dixon beginning to slip. Muirhead fought to stay ahead, but Smith fought harder.
Smith leaned. He won. He fell to the track in exhaustion. The clock stopped.
3:59.02.
“The fact that I was able to pull out the win, I was already happy,” Smith said. “I didn’t even know what the time was until I waited around for a second… When I saw the clock come in at like 3:59-flat, I knew that I must have closed pretty hard, and it got the job done.”
“Pretty hard” may be an understatement. Smith ran his last lap in 27.79 seconds, a final split that was only bettered by two of the other 49 men who raced in Fayetteville. At the Millrose Games in New York the following afternoon, only two of the nine professionals in the fastest mile field of the year closed faster than Smith.
For Smith, the breakthrough of this race didn’t come just in the victory or the landmark personal best, but in the freedom with which he was able to run. For the first time in a long time, he was able to display the talent that made him a national champion during his time at Buchholz.
“That was basically the last time I felt like I was at 100% and ready to go until this past weekend,” Smith said. “I don’t think I’m the same as I was before all the injuries… I think I’m different now, in a good way. I have a lot of mental strength behind it.”
Smith has three weeks to put more convincing marks on the board and build more fitness ahead of the SEC Indoor Championships. To remain focused on the task at hand, he’s already put the run of his life behind him, with an eye toward the next day that will supersede the Razorback Invitational mile.
“I’m kind of leaving the race in Arkansas,” Smith said. “Now I know it’s time to push a little bit further, and I think I can keep progressing. On the outlook of the season, I think I’m ready to do a lot more.”
Contact Paul Hof-Mahoney at phof-mahoney@alligator.org and follow him on X at @phofmahoney.
Paul is a senior in his fourth semester on the track and field/cross country beat for The Alligator. In his free time, you can increasingly see him jogging around Gainesville or endlessly falling deeper down the rabbit hole that is track Twitter.
