Watch These Guys Run a 1-Mile Race in Blue Jeans

Emily Shiffer

June 4, 2020 8:28 PM

YouTuber Nick Symmonds and his friends recently got together to film their first attempt at a Blue Jean Mile, which, you might not be surprised to hear, is exactly what it sounds like: a 1-mile race wearing a full pair of denim pants. According to Symmonds, the event was created by CITIUS magazine as a fun way to end a running season.

Nick Symmonds Hosts a Funny Blue Jean Mile

Symmonds has his own pair of pants, but says he needs some 'performance jeans' to break the world record held at the time of the video of 4:11, set by Dillon Maggard. So he heads to a local Goodwill to purchase a pair of both loose and super-tight fitting jeans so he can test out which fit will get him the best time. (Since Symmonds filmed the video, the record was actually smashed by runner Johnny Gregorek on Saturday, May 30, who clocked in at 4:06.25.)

After finding the ideal pair in each style, he heads to the track for testing. He decides to sprint a 100 meter dash in each pair.

In the 'regular' Levi's, he clocks in at 14.9 seconds. In the super-tight pair, he does it in 13.5 seconds. And in the baggiest pair he finishes in 14.5 seconds. He goes with the tightest pair.

"Are they women's jeans? Maybe. Do they feel incredible? Yes," he says.

Symmonds then meets his competition, who typically run a variety of distances between the 800 meter and 10K. As he's warming up, he fully rips his pants.

"I just ripped my pants. How bad is it?" he says as he turns his backside to the camera, showing off a massive hole. "Oh no! I loved these jeans!"

So he quickly changes into the Levi's for the race.

"It's the worst looking cross country team ever running around in our blue jeans," he says in a voiceover as the race kicks off. "It's just hot. I am sweating in these jeans."

By the first 400 meters, his time is 1:14.

"It's a little slower than I'd ideally like to run, but my thought is I'd love to break 5 minutes today," says Symmonds.

By Lap 2, he's struggling.

"Ah it hurts so bad already, but I still have two full laps to go," he says.

His last lap he clocks in at 3:50, while the front of the pack has almost crossed the finish line. The race winner has a final time of 4:31, while Symmonds finishes at 5:12.

"I'm actually pretty happy with that. I wanted to break 5, but considering the conditions and that I didn't get my performance jeans which may have been worth a few seconds, I'll take it," he says.

Emily Shiffer