The Story

The Wisco Mile was founded in 2008 by Wisconsin Lutheran HS Distance Coach Eric Lueck. His idea behind it was very simple: The WIAA State Track & Field Meet traditionally ends on the first Saturday in June so he set the Wisco Mile for the following Wednesday while athletes were still in peak form. It provided high school athletes with an opportunity to compete in ideal race conditions too; under the lights, in cooler weather, assisted by rabbits and without any added pressure.

The first Wisco Mile meet attracted 90 runners and in 2015, the number of participants grew to over 350. During these eight years, music, pace-setters and meet announcers have only enhanced the three hours of rich distance competition and runner camaraderie. Runners from 62 high schools competed last year coming from Milwaukee, Green Bay, LaCrosse, Madison and all over Wisconsin.  We have even attracted runners from Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

In addition to the excellent high school races, the Wisco Mile also features a variety of races in order to attract the greater distance running community of Wisconsin and the Midwest. There are middle school, community and Masters level races.  There is also the Super Mile to attract the elite runners beyond the high school level. 

Newer events for the Wisco Mile were contested after listening to various feedback. A Co-ed Future 5000m Race was offered to high school athletes completing 10th and 11th grade who will be running cross country in the fall. Also, a Master's Money Mile was offered for competitive runners at the Master's level. Lastly, a true Community Mile was offered to the non-competitive runner. This race is open to runners of all ages.

Spectators at the 2013 Wisco Mile almost witnessed track history.  Professional runner Joe Stilin, Milwaukee native and first-ever winner of the high school Wisco Mile, came to the Wisco track with a quality field of collegiate All-Americans to see if they could break 4 minutes.  The magical 4 minute barrier has only been broken twice on Wisconsin soil.  With runners, spectators and family all lining the track, Stilin finished in 4:00.1 which became the 3rd fastest time on Wisconsin soil.  It was a great night at the 6th annual Wisco Mile! 

The 2015 Wisco Mile was a beautiful night that once again saw some outstanding mile races.  We had our largest registration with over 350 runners.  A women's Super Mile was added and we saw a new meet record of 4:49.  The men's Super Mile was the main attraction of the night with Joe Stilin returning to attempt the 4 minute barrier.  A large and energized crowd saw Stilin and 3 NCAA Div.3 National Champions run an outstanding race with Stilin at 4:01 and Paul Escher at 4:02. Two Wisconsin high school runners, Perrin Hagge and Ben Eidenschink,  joined the action with both running 4:10 for the full mile.  Overall, it was a fun and exciting night on the Wisco track. 

The 2017 Wisco Mile was our 10 year anniversary and this was the 1st year that we went to a Saturday event.  With our anniversary, we wanted to get better but at the same time, celebrate 10 years of this great event for the runners and fans of middle distance running.  For the 1st time, we offered $5000 in prize money for our Super Miles, hoping to see our first sub4 at the Wisco Mile.  With a crowd of over 800 lining the track, we were thrilled to watch the attempt but missed it once again.  It shows how truly difficult breaking 4 minutes can be.  One of the best performances of the night was in the Masters Money Mile where Matt Groose ran 4:17 and impressed the crowd with his strong running.  Our women's champ, based upon the USATF age-graded calculation, did not finish in the top 3 but her performance at the age of 58 was the equivalent of a 5:08 mile.  Over the last hour of the night and following the event, we celebrated with a live band (Big Spoon) who entertained the crowd and added to our festive environment.  10 years down and many more to come.  One of these years, we will see the sub4 on Wisconsin soil and on the Wisco track.

The 2020 Wisco Mile almost didn't happen because of the Covid pandemic and all of the shutdowns and cancellations in the sports world.  However, we were able to host a safe and adjusted Wisco Mile at the Athletic Complex of Wisconsin Lutheran College.  The running community of Wisconsin and the Midwest were just thrilled to have a real track meet and the Wisco Mile delivered for over 300 runners.

In 2021, the Wisco Mile returned to Wisconsin Lutheran HS and we had 2 outstanding performances.  In the girls middle school race, MacKenzie Babcock crushed the meet record when she race 4:57 and established herself as a young star moving into the high school ranks.  At the end of the night in the Men's Super Mile, the Wisco Mile finally added to the history of the sub-4 on Wisconsin soil.  Previous to 2021, only 3 runners had ever broken 4 on WI soil - Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, and Oliver Hoare.  With a large and excited crowd lining the Wisco track, 3 more names were added to the sub4 club as Shane Streich, Olin Hacker, and Jackson Sharpe all broke 4 minutes.  The Wisco Mile finally did it!