It is a new event launching as part of the Dunedin Marathon weekend on September 12.
Race organisers will turn George St into a race course for a few hours.
The route starts and finishes in the Octagon.
You run north along George St, past the shops, the cafes and the bars before making a U-turn and gunning it back to the Octagon.
Races will be run from 4pm to 6pm. The programme will culminate with the New Zealand Road Mile Championships, which have been running since 2023.
Teenage prodigy Sam Ruthe is unlikely to make the trip south as he is recovering from a stress fracture in his lower leg.
Olympian Sam Tanner is the defending men’s mile champion. He won the title in 4min 2.91sec in Nelson last year, while Georgie Grgec won the women’s race.
Hill City University runner Matt Bolter was looking forward to ripping up the pavers.
‘‘It’s quite a cool course because it’s going right through the heart of the city,’’ Bolter said.
‘‘I’ll be racing in the senior race, but the university event is going to target all the people around my age, so I’ll get to watch my mates run up and down and they’ll be dressed up in all sorts,’’ he said.
‘‘And I think it’s going to be a really good time and a really good event to bring everyone together.’’
Event director Libby McGee said what would make the new race special was the proximity of the crowd.
It had also been designed to target athletes of all descriptions.
‘‘We’re really looking forward to having people who have never considered themselves runners show up, pin on a number and cross a finish line in the Octagon,’’ she said in a statement.
There are four categories.
The Social Mile is for people who may want a light warm-up before the Dunedin Marathon the next day or just want to be part of the fun.
The Uni Mile is targeted at a more competitive athlete.
The Kids Mile is just because, really. Who does not like seeing their children burning off some energy so you can get them to bed earlier?
And the main event is The New Zealand Road Mile Championships, which will be held over senior, age-group and masters grades.
Entry fees for the George Street Mile range from $15 for the children’s race to $40 for the championship event, with runners in the Dunedin Marathon receiving a 25% discount.
