Nuguse Returns To Global Stage After Course Record 3:54.1 Performance; Wiley Wins Second National Title This Year With 4:25.5 Run; Vince Ciattei, Gracie Hyde Make First U.S. Team

Story and photos by Keenan Gray of DyeStat

INTERVIEWS

DES MOINES, Iowa - Yared Nuguse and Addy Wiley each won their first road national titles at the USATF 1 Mile Championships Tuesday night in downtown Des Moines.

As part of the Drake Relays' Grand Blue Mile event, the USATF 1 Mile Championships were the qualifier for this year's World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in September. The top two finishers from the men's and women's races were awarded spots on the U.S. team.

Nuguse ran a course best 3 minutes, 54.06 seconds, holding off three-time USATF 1 Mile champion Vincent Ciattei for his third-career USATF title and first since winning the 3,000 at U.S. Indoors in 2024.

"It feels good just to kind of be where I know I'm supposed to be," Nuguse said. "I know the competition's hard, but still, I know I'm one of the best in the U.S."

Two-time defending champion Ciattei took the early lead through the first quarter mile in 59 seconds ahead of Nuguse and his On teammate Dylan Jacobs. By the half mile, Nuguse and Ciattei both went through in 1:59 with Nuguse having a slight lead.

With a quarter mile remaining, Nuguse and Ciattei found themselves in a pack of six but each found another gear with under 300 meters to go to break away and battle for the top two spots.

Following an indoor season where Nuguse didn't win a race, this is his first win since the 5th Avenue Mile in New York City last September.

"This whole indoor season's been like weirdly up and down of things going well and then things not going well," Nuguse said. "I wanted to run this race to win it and own it a little bit. I did just that and it felt really good."

Ciattei finished in 3:54.62 for second and officially made his first U.S. team. Last year, Ciattei won the 2025 USATF 1 Mile Championships, but because the World Athletics Road Running Championships, which were going to be held in San Diego, were cancelled, he wasn't able to represent his first U.S. team. 

"I earned it last year, but you know, that didn't have any bearing on today," Ciattei said. "I had to come back and earn it again and I'm really glad that I did."

Drew Hunter ran 3:55.29 to take third, Waleed Sulliman finished fourth in 3:55.86 and Jacobs rounded out the top five in 3:56.05. Nine men broke four minutes.

Wiley returned to streets of Des Moines for the first time since a third-place finish in 2023 and won this year's title in 4:25.42. This was Wiley's first race since earning bronze in the 800 meters at the World Indoor Championships in Poland and is now craving more hardware after making another team.

"I just feel mentally I'm in such a good place and feel a lot of confidence to chase medals," Wiley said. "Having one under my belt feels like a good starting point."

In one of the closest finishes in USATF 1 Mile Championships history, Wiley, Gracie Hyde and Gracie Morris were within hundredths of seconds of each other at the finish line for the top two spots to worlds. With a closer look for that final spot to Copenhagen, Wiley was across the line first, Hyde was awarded second in 4:25.64, making her first ever global team, and Morris was third in 4:25.75.

"It's a lot of feelings coming across the line and knowing you made your first U.S. team," Hyde said. "I don't think it was on anyone's bingo card for me to make a road team anytime soon."

Wiley took the early lead in 65 seconds at the quarter mile and moved back into second at half mile in 2:13. Morris took the lead late with a quarter mile to go with both Wiley and Hyde trailing.

As they approached the finish, Wiley moved around Morris to the front and Hyde went to the left of Wiley to get ahead of Morris for the second and final spot. Morris didn't settle for it, though.

"I know that I'm going to give everyone for a run for their money right now because I knew that I would try to surge it early," Hyde said. "When I did, Gracie immediately matched it. That was a moment that was I like, 'we might not have this one.' But then I just kept pushing, kept pushing."

Annika Reiss was fourth in 4:26.92 and Eleanor Fulton was fifth in 4:29.34 to get under 4:30. Allie Ostrander finished sixth in 4:30.27