The New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory will be the stage for the biggest battle in New York City on Saturday night. Thirteen runners will toe the line for the Wanamaker Mile, which has been the marquee event for the Millrose Games since 1926. With Matt Centrowitz sidelined for the indoor season with illness, a new winner will be crowned in 2014. 

New Zealander Nick Willis had a great weekend in Boston by winning a stacked mile race in 3:57.41. Nate Brannen (3rd place, 3:58.37) and Leo Manzano (7th place, 4:04.92) will get their shot at revenge in New York, but the 2008 Olympic silver medalist wants another big name in the race from this past weekend. 

Disappointed. The two times I've raced Rupp... two DNFs. Both times he still did a w/o after. #milrosegames?

— Nick Willis (@nickwillis) February 10, 2014

Unless there is a late addition to the field, Galen Rupp is not scheduled to face off against Willis until apossible rematch at the World Championships. 

Since his win at the 5th Avenue Mile in the fall, Willis has looked dominant. He ran 1:50.04 for 800-meters in late January. This weekend proved he is ready for tactical affairs that may be encountered on a championship stage. 

Although Willis is ranked sixth in the world and heads into Saturday as the favorite, the crowd at the Armory will be rooting loud for another former Michigan Wolverine. American mile record holder Alan Webb will be racing on the track for the last time before turning his career focus to the triathlon. Webb has a season’s best of 4:02.81.

Webb has run under four minutes at the Armory as evidenced by this rare video of his 3:59 at the 2001 New Balance Games. He was just a high school runner at the time. 

Per usual, a few collegiate stars will rub elbows with some of the world’s best professionals. This could spell trouble for UTEP junior Antony Rotich’s reign atop the NCAA list with his 3:55.86 mile conversion from the UNM Cherry and Silver Invitational at altitude. The mark stands after a weekend of fast miles in Boston and Notre Dame, which resulted in Jeremy Rae and Rich Peters’ names being dropped as early NCAA favorites. 

Reminder: Lawi Lalang has yet to race in the mile. 

The 2013 NCAA champion in the mile and 3,000-meter run returns to action after a 1:51.20 800-meter run at altitude and a 7:44.20 3,000-meter run at the Washington Invitational. 

Lalang will be challenged by the 2012 NCAA indoor mile champion as Chris O’Hare flies back to the United States after finishing second in 3:48.68 for 1,500-meters at the British Indoor Championships. He is looking for one more fast mile as he prepares to represent Great Britain in Sopot for the IAAF Indoor World Championships. 

After running 1:52.54 for 800-meters at the Armory this weekend, Wisconsin junior Austin Mudd will move up to the mile. He finished fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship’s 1,500-meter run. 

Oklahoma State’s Kirubel Erassa is coming off a 3,000-meter win in 7:45.05 at the Razorback Invitational, where he also anchored the Cowboys to the 10th fastest DMR in the country.

----

Other elite athletes in the race to watch:
Miles Batty - Coming off a training block with Leo Manzano in Mexico. Ran 4:04.43 at the New Balance Games on Jan. 25

Brian Gagnon - Just finished behind Batty in that mile at the Armory. He was the second leg of the New Jersey - New York Track Club 4x800-meter relay team that broke the World Record but finished second to the U.S. All-Stars. 

Will Leer - Ran a personal best of 7:42.95 for the indoor 3,000-meter run as he finished 8th at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. He was about a second behind Cam Levins and is 22nd on the 2014 world list. 

Craig Miller - finished 12th in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 3,000-meter run. He does have a 3:57.69 mile under his belt from a third place finish at the New Balance Games. That puts him 7th in the world.

Event 41  Men 1 Mile Run Elite
========================================================================
Saturday 2/15/2014 - 3:00 PM
     Name                        Year School                                
========================================================================
  1  Miles Batty                      Asics                       
  2  Nate Brannen                     Saucony                     
  3  Kirubel Erassa                   Oklahoma State              
  4  Brian Gagnon                     NJ-NY TC                    
  5  Johnny Gregorek                  Columbia U.                 
  6  Lawi Lalang                      Arizona                     
  7  Will Leer                        Nike                        
  8  Leo Manzano                      unattached                  
  9  Craig Miller                     New Balance                 
 10  Austin Mudd                      Wisconsin                   
 11  Chris O'Hare                     unattached                  
 12  Alan Webb                        Bowerman AC                 
 13  Nick Willis                      Adidas