Johnny Gregorek Jr. is an American middle distance runner. He competed in the 2017 World Championships in the 1500, where he placed 10th in a time of 3:37.56. As of May 2020, Gregorek holds the world record for the fastest Blue Jean Mile, ran in a time of 4:06.25.

Running Career

Gregorek was raised in

Seekonk, Massachusetts Seekonk is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Massachusetts border with Rhode Island. It was incorporated in 1812 from the western half of Rehoboth. The population was 15,531 at the 2020 census. Until 1862, the town o ...

, where he helped

Seekonk High School Seekonk High School is a public high school operated by Seekonk Public Schools in Seekonk, Massachusetts, United States. It serves the district's 9–12 student population. The school's mission statement is ''"All students will achieve their m ...

win the state cross country title. He earned a degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2014, then, taking advantage of an NCAA rule which allows athletes to transfer to another school for a fifth year of competition, joined the Oregon Ducks. Gregorek finished in 6th place at the 2016 US Olympic Trials. In 2017, he qualified for the World Championships in London for 1500m, where he finished 10th, following his 3rd place finish at the US Championships. In 2019, he ran 3:49.98 for 1 mile at Boston University, making his time second on the All-Time American Indoor Mile list. He and his father share the record for the fastest father-son mile duo in world history.

Perosonal Bests

Blue Jeans Mile

On May 30, 2020, Gregorek ran what is believed to be the fastest mile ever run by someone wearing blue jeans in 4 minutes and 6.25 seconds, beating the previous world record by five seconds. Gregorek ran the Blue Jean Mile wearing 100% cotton Levi’s, while raising over $37,500 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). He ran the mile in memory of his younger brother Patrick, who died suddenly in March 2019 after struggling with mental health.

Personal

Gregorek's father

John Gregorek John Gregorek (born 15 April 1960) is an American former middle-distance runner who competed in the Summer Olympics in 1980 (boycotted) and 1984. His son, John Gregorek Jr., is also a competitive middle-distance runner, who competed in the 2017 ...

competed in

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

for the 1980 and 1984 Olympic teams. His mother, Christine Mullen, was an Olympic trials finalist and competed in the 1980s for

Athletics West Athletics West (frequently abbreviated in results as AW) was an American running team formed in 1977 by Bill Bowerman, Phil Knight and Geoff Hollister. Overview During the 1970s, a definitive running program for young athletes to continue competi ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

. In January 2019, Gregorek married Amy Nunes.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregorek, John 1991 births American male middle-distance runners Living people World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Columbia Lions men's track and field athletes People from Seekonk, Massachusetts Athletes (track and field) at the 2019 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games track and field athletes for the United States Medalists at the 2019 Pan American Games