Yakima Mile

Yakima Mile closes a full mile of Yakima Avenue each summer for a straight, downhill road mile through downtown Yakima, Washington. The event runs in 11 heats, allowing the same street to accommodate a non-competitive Family Mile, kids and youth runners, walkers, dogs, veterans, local racers, and an Elite Mile for serious speed. The one-mile format is straightforward: nearly anyone can participate, and the downhill course offers runners a genuine chance at a fast time. The course runs along Yakima Avenue, finishing near the historic Larson Building. Elite races attract some of the nation's fastest milers, with the men's Washington mile record at 3:50.5 and the women's record at 4:20.5. Youth runners 18 and under participate for free. The TRU-ly RAD Group Challenge introduces a community element by awarding cash prizes to groups with the most finishers, supporting a nonprofit, club, or cause. Hogback Development Company produces the race, Fleet Feet PNW presents it, and the event collaborates with Bring Back The Mile, an organization dedicated to promoting mile racing throughout the United States.