Will Leer would rather go for broke. The 2013 US Champion in the indoor mile says the fast start is "time in the bank." "It's a great opportunity to get out hard and run your first 400 meters faster than you normally would on the track," he says. "But it takes having run here to not be scared if you see a time that is substantially faster."
Both Leer and Simpson are veterans in this race. Simpson, 28, won in 2011 and 2013. Last year's winning time of 4:19.3 is the second fastest since the race's inception in 1981. This year she will attempt to become the only three-time winner.
Leer, 29, has never won in his five attempts. Last year, he took an early lead only to fade to a fifth-place finish. But the California-based runner is wrapping up a year in which he set personal bests in the 1500 meter and mile races both indoors and outdoors. He also won the historic Wanamaker Mile at February's Millrose Games at the Armory in Washington Heights. "I love running here. I love the city. It's got an energy that helps us as athletes and drives us to perform."
Leer won't have to fight off defending champion Nick Willis or fan favorite Bernard Lagat. Both are skipping the race in favor of the Continental Cup Track and Field Meet in Morocco. Still, competition is stiff. 2012 champion Matt Centrowitz is the runner to beat. He also set personal bests at 1500 meters and the mile in 2014. Leer says anything can happen. "It's a road mile so you never really know," he says. "It's unpredictable. Someone might turn an ankle or take a wrong turn," Leer jokes. "It's a straight course so I hope no one does that."
Simpson also faces a stacked field. The Colorado-based runner has had a nearly-flawless summer during which she won the Diamond League Championship at 1500 meters and came within a tenth of a second of breaking the American record at that distance. But 2012 5th Avenue Mile Champion Brenda Martinez is running very well. She ran 1:58.8 for 800 meters in Brussels just last week and her closing kick down 5th Avenue in the 2012 race left six other Olympians in the dust.
Simpson will also have to fight off hometown favorite Mary Cain. Cain, 18, is making her road race debut. The Bronxville native recently moved to Portland where she is professional runner for Nike and a freshman in the Honors Program at the University of Portland. "I know my family's going to be here. All my friends are going to come out. It just makes it so much more of a fun atmosphere. No matter what happens it's just about running as fast as I can," Cain says about being back in New York. Cain's legs are fresh having raced a limited summer schedule. She's new to the road mile, but her youth has yet to hold her back in tough competition.
"Even though it's a fun kind of festive atmosphere, it's a really tough race and it's not easy to win here," Simpson says. "I definitely am going to have to be really focused and ready as if it was a world class track and field race."
Both Simpson and Leer could have chosen to end their season overseas like Willis and Lagat. But Simpson says there's no better place than New York to run her last race of 2014. "It's an opportunity for my friends and family to celebrate with me and an opportunity to express my gratitude to the people who worked so hard in New York and beyond to make my season possible," she says.
The New York Road Runners 5th Avenue Mile is Saturday, September 13th in Manhattan. The one mile course starts at East 80th Street and ends at Grand Army Plaza. Races begin at 8:45am with the professional men's race at 12:45pm and the professional women's race at 1:00pm.