Five-second answer
Claim we investigated
Washington's fastest high-school girl ever in the mile would finish at or near the back of a boys' state final.
True. Her 4:33.29 state record was slower than 257 of 276 boys in 2022-2026 state 1600m finals. Official WIAA results for all 15 boys' 2A, 3A and 4A state 1600m finals from 2022 to 2026 place 4:33.29 between 15th and 24th, always among the last five finishers, and national records show that even the fastest U.S. high-school girl ever would have finished between 8th and 18th.
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FactHub rates the claim “Washington's fastest high-school girl ever in the mile would finish at or near the back of a boys' state final” True (high confidence): Her 4:33.29 state record was slower than 257 of 276 boys in 2022-2026 state 1600m finals. Reviewed October 14, 2026. https://facthub.org/n/article/wa-girls-mile-record-vs-boys-finals/2
One-minute summary
What the evidence establishes
- Washington's fastest high-school girl ever ran 1600m in 4:33.29 (Alexa Efraimson, Camas, 2014 state meet); no Washington girl has run faster than 4:40.35 in any season since.
- Placed in each of the 15 boys' 2A, 3A and 4A state 1600m finals from 2022 to 2026, 4:33.29 would have finished 15th to 24th: among the last five every time, and last in four.
- 257 of 276 boy finalists (93%) ran faster than Washington's best girl ever; the 19 who did not all finished 15th or lower.
- The fastest U.S. high-school girl ever (4:21.81 for 1600m inside a 4:23.50 mile, 2025) would have made the boys' finals but placed 8th to 18th; 177 of 276 boys were faster.
- Each year the 10 fastest girls at the state meet averaged 16.6% to 19.2% slower than the 10 fastest boys, about 42 to 48 seconds.
The evidence
The conclusion rests on the combined record. Expand each item to see its role and limitations.
| Method | Institution / country | Year(s) | What it shows | Key limitation | Primary links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official meet results, cross-checked with independent press reports and season performance lists | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), The Columbian, MileSplit, Athletic.net United States | 2005, 2013, 2014, 2025, 2026 | The official WIAA results of the 2014 state 2A-3A-4A meet list Alexa Efraimson of Camas, an 11th grader, winning the girls' 4A 1600m in 4:33.29, marked as a meet record. The Columbian and MileSplit reported it as a national high-school girls' 1600m record at the time, with lap splits of 67, 71, 70 and 65 seconds. The Columbian had reported a year earlier that Washington's best before then was 4:38.09 by Brie Felnagle in 2005. Athletic.net's Washington girls' season lists show that the fastest 1600m in each season from 2015 to 2026 (no 2020 season) ranged from 4:40.35 (2025) to 4:50.76 (2018), so 4:33.29 remains the state's best. | Athletic.net lists depend on coaches and meets entering results, and only the top five of each season list are public without an account; a fast mark that was never entered would be missing. The pre-2014 best (4:38.09 by Brie Felnagle in 2005) rests on one news report. Splits taken inside mile races may not appear in 1600m lists. | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) The Columbian MileSplit The Columbian Athletic.net FactHub |
| FactHub tabulation of every finisher in official state-championship results | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), FactHub United States | 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | FactHub extracted all 550 finishers of the boys' and girls' 1600m finals at the WIAA 2A, 3A and 4A state championships from 2022 to 2026 (15 boys' finals, 276 boys). Had 4:33.29 been run in each boys' final, it would have placed between 15th and 24th: within the last five finishers in all 15 finals and last in four (2022 2A, 2023 3A, 2025 3A, 2026 4A). It would never have reached the top eight scoring places. 257 of the 276 boy finalists (93%) ran faster; the 19 who did not all finished 15th or lower in their own finals. In four of the five years, every boy finalist also beat that year's fastest girls' state champion; in 2023, 55 of 56 did. | Each boy's time comes from one championship race, often run tactically and usually slower than his season best, while 4:33.29 is a lifetime best, so the comparison favors the girl. Only the 2A, 3A and 4A finals are included; 1A, 2B and 1B schools race at a separate meet. A runner inserted into a race might change how others ran. FactHub extracted the times from the official PDFs with a published script; places 1-8 match FactHub's earlier dataset exactly. | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) FactHub |
| Comparison with compiled national high-school records and an independent news report | Wikipedia (compiled U.S. high-school records), Runner's World, Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) United States | 2025 | Jane Hedengren of Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, ran the mile in 4:23.50 on June 5, 2025, the fastest ever by a U.S. high-school girl, passing 1600m in 4:21.81. Placed in the same 15 Washington boys' finals, 4:21.81 would have finished between 8th and 18th; 177 of 276 boy finalists (64%) were faster. It would have scored (top eight) in one final, placing 8th in the 2023 2A race. The fastest girl in the country's history would have made the Washington boys' finals but finished in the middle or back of the field. | The 4:23.50 mile and its 4:21.81 split were listed as awaiting ratification by the National Federation of State High School Associations when retrieved. The split was timed inside a mile race, not as a separate 1600m. The record was set at a national invitational meet, not a state final. | Wikipedia Runner's World FactHub |
| FactHub calculation from official state-championship results | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), FactHub United States | 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | Across the three 2A-4A finals combined, the 10 fastest girls averaged 16.6% to 19.2% slower than the 10 fastest boys each year, a gap of about 42 to 48 seconds. In 2026 the top 10 boys averaged 4:06.67 and the top 10 girls 4:54.07, and every girl was 18.3% to 20.1% slower than the boy of the same rank; the 10th-fastest boy (4:09.03) beat the fastest girl (4:48.99) by about 40 seconds. The girls' and boys' finals were about the same size (16 to 24 finishers), so the girls' times do not come from thin fields. | The state meet's top 10 is not the state's top 10 for the season: some fast runners do not qualify or do not race the final, and championship races can be slow. Athletic.net's 2026 season lists show a similar gap among the five fastest boys and girls. | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) Athletic.net FactHub |
1. Washington's fastest girl ever ran 4:33.29 in 2014, and no one has come close since
The official WIAA results of the 2014 state 2A-3A-4A meet list Alexa Efraimson of Camas, an 11th grader, winning the girls' 4A 1600m in 4:33.29, marked as a meet record. The Columbian and MileSplit reported it as a national high-school girls' 1600m record at the time, with lap splits of 67, 71, 70 and 65 seconds. The Columbian had reported a year earlier that Washington's best before then was 4:38.09 by Brie Felnagle in 2005. Athletic.net's Washington girls' season lists show that the fastest 1600m in each season from 2015 to 2026 (no 2020 season) ranged from 4:40.35 (2025) to 4:50.76 (2018), so 4:33.29 remains the state's best.
Limit: Athletic.net lists depend on coaches and meets entering results, and only the top five of each season list are public without an account; a fast mark that was never entered would be missing. The pre-2014 best (4:38.09 by Brie Felnagle in 2005) rests on one news report. Splits taken inside mile races may not appear in 1600m lists.
Verify: 2014 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results State track: Camas' Efraimson sets national high school record for 1,600 meters Alexa Efraimson 4:33.29 National Record for 1600! Camas' Efraimson wins 1,600 at state in record time Washington girls' high-school outdoor track performance lists, 2014-2026 Washington high-school 1600m: the fastest girls ever vs boys' state finals, 2022-2026 (dataset)
2. 4:33.29 would have finished among the last five in every boys' state final, 2022-2026
FactHub extracted all 550 finishers of the boys' and girls' 1600m finals at the WIAA 2A, 3A and 4A state championships from 2022 to 2026 (15 boys' finals, 276 boys). Had 4:33.29 been run in each boys' final, it would have placed between 15th and 24th: within the last five finishers in all 15 finals and last in four (2022 2A, 2023 3A, 2025 3A, 2026 4A). It would never have reached the top eight scoring places. 257 of the 276 boy finalists (93%) ran faster; the 19 who did not all finished 15th or lower in their own finals. In four of the five years, every boy finalist also beat that year's fastest girls' state champion; in 2023, 55 of 56 did.
Limit: Each boy's time comes from one championship race, often run tactically and usually slower than his season best, while 4:33.29 is a lifetime best, so the comparison favors the girl. Only the 2A, 3A and 4A finals are included; 1A, 2B and 1B schools race at a separate meet. A runner inserted into a race might change how others ran. FactHub extracted the times from the official PDFs with a published script; places 1-8 match FactHub's earlier dataset exactly.
Verify: 2022 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results 2023 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results 2024 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results 2025 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results 2026 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results Washington high-school 1600m: the fastest girls ever vs boys' state finals, 2022-2026 (dataset)
3. Even the fastest U.S. high-school girl ever would have finished mid-pack
Jane Hedengren of Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, ran the mile in 4:23.50 on June 5, 2025, the fastest ever by a U.S. high-school girl, passing 1600m in 4:21.81. Placed in the same 15 Washington boys' finals, 4:21.81 would have finished between 8th and 18th; 177 of 276 boy finalists (64%) were faster. It would have scored (top eight) in one final, placing 8th in the 2023 2A race. The fastest girl in the country's history would have made the Washington boys' finals but finished in the middle or back of the field.
Limit: The 4:23.50 mile and its 4:21.81 split were listed as awaiting ratification by the National Federation of State High School Associations when retrieved. The split was timed inside a mile race, not as a separate 1600m. The record was set at a national invitational meet, not a state final.
Verify: List of United States high school national records in track and field A League of Her Own: Jane Hedengren Smashes High School Mile Record By 4 Seconds Washington high-school 1600m: the fastest girls ever vs boys' state finals, 2022-2026 (dataset)
4. The top 10 girls trail the top 10 boys by 17-19% every year
Across the three 2A-4A finals combined, the 10 fastest girls averaged 16.6% to 19.2% slower than the 10 fastest boys each year, a gap of about 42 to 48 seconds. In 2026 the top 10 boys averaged 4:06.67 and the top 10 girls 4:54.07, and every girl was 18.3% to 20.1% slower than the boy of the same rank; the 10th-fastest boy (4:09.03) beat the fastest girl (4:48.99) by about 40 seconds. The girls' and boys' finals were about the same size (16 to 24 finishers), so the girls' times do not come from thin fields.
Limit: The state meet's top 10 is not the state's top 10 for the season: some fast runners do not qualify or do not race the final, and championship races can be slow. Athletic.net's 2026 season lists show a similar gap among the five fastest boys and girls.
Verify: 2022 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results 2026 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results Washington girls' high-school outdoor track performance lists, 2014-2026 Washington high-school 1600m: the fastest girls ever vs boys' state finals, 2022-2026 (dataset)
Common questions
“The boys' times are from one race; maybe they had a slow day.”
That works in the girls' favor, not against them. Championship finals are often tactical and slower than season bests, while 4:33.29 is the best race a Washington girl has ever run. Even so, 257 of 276 boy finalists beat it.
“The comparison leaves out small schools.”
True: the 1A, 2B and 1B finals are held at a separate meet and are not included. Adding them would add more boys' races, but it would not change where 4:33.29 falls in the 15 finals compared here.
“Fewer girls run track, so the best girls are naturally slower.”
The girls' state finals in these years were as full as the boys' (16 to 24 finishers each), and the benchmark is the best girl in state history and in national history, not a typical runner. Participation does not explain why the fastest girl ever would still trail most of an ordinary year's boy finalists.
“One record is just one runner; maybe she was a fluke.”
She is the most favorable case for the girls. Every season leader since 2014 was slower, from 4:40.35 to 4:50.76, and each of those would have finished even farther back. The U.S. record, about 11 seconds faster still, would still have placed 8th to 18th.
“The mile and the 1600m are different races.”
They differ by about 9 meters. Washington high schools race 1600m, so every Washington time here is a true 1600m, and the U.S. benchmark uses the 1600m split timed inside the record mile rather than a converted time.
“Isn't this really about transgender athletes?”
This check compares the boys' and girls' categories as results list them, which is the biological comparison behind the Initiative 638 debate. We found no public report of a transgender athlete in any girls' final or record used here. Whether and how sports should be divided is a policy question this article does not answer.
Conclusion
The comparison is built to favor the girls. On one side is the single best 1600m a Washington high-school girl has ever run: Alexa Efraimson's 4:33.29 at the 2014 state meet, which was then a national high-school record and remains Washington's best, with no Washington girl faster than 4:40.35 in any season since. On the other side are ordinary championship-day times from the boys who reached the 2A, 3A and 4A state finals from 2022 to 2026, which are usually slower than those boys' season bests. Even so, 257 of the 276 boy finalists ran faster than her, and in every one of the 15 finals she would have finished among the last five; in four she would have been last. The 19 boys she would have beaten all finished 15th or lower in their own races. The U.S. benchmark shows the same thing from a higher level. Jane Hedengren's 4:23.50 mile in 2025, the fastest ever by a U.S. high-school girl, included a 1600m split of 4:21.81. That time would have reached the Washington boys' finals but placed 8th to 18th, scoring a point (top eight) in only one of 15. Below the record level, the pattern is the same every year: the 10 fastest girls at the state meet averaged 16.6% to 19.2% slower than the 10 fastest boys, about 42 to 48 seconds, and the fastest girls' state champion each year was slower than every boy finalist in four of the five years. The main limits are scope and selection. Only the 2A, 3A and 4A finals are included; the 1A, 2B and 1B classifications race at a separate meet. Washington's girls' record dates from 2014, and a future runner could lower it; the U.S. record shows that even a much faster girl would still finish mid-pack. A girl racing in a boys' final might run differently than in a solo record, in either direction. None of these changes the conclusion that Washington's best girl ever would finish at or near the back, so we rate the claim True with high confidence. Why the gap exists, and how it appears at puberty, is covered in FactHub's broader check of boys' and girls' athletic performance.
How we checked
- Defined the claim precisely: where would the fastest 1600m by a Washington high-school girl rank among boys in Washington's state finals?
- Confirmed the Washington girls' best (4:33.29, 2014) in the official WIAA results, two independent press reports, and Athletic.net's season leaders for 2014-2026; checked the pre-2014 best in a 2013 news report.
- Extracted every finisher of the 2022-2026 WIAA 2A, 3A and 4A 1600m finals from the official results PDFs with a published script, and checked places 1-8 against FactHub's earlier dataset (240 of 240 matched).
- For each of the 15 boys' finals, counted boys strictly faster than each benchmark to find the place it would have taken.
- Added the U.S. girls' record as a second benchmark, using the official 1600m split rather than a converted mile time.
- Recorded the limits of each line of evidence, archived every source, and published the tables, scripts and calculations as a FactHub dataset and two charts.
Editorial note: Scope: Washington high-school 1600m only, using WIAA 2A-4A state finals from 2022 to 2026, Washington girls' season leaders from 2014 to 2026 and the U.S. high-school girls' mile record. Athlete names of current or recent high-school runners are omitted; the two record holders named are now adults. This article is research context for Washington's Initiative 638 debate and takes no position on the initiative. No external specialist review has been recorded.
Expert-review status
No external specialist review has been recorded.
Funding and conflicts
Funding: No external funding for this piece.
Ownership: FactHub is an independent fact-checking project; no owner or sponsor reviewed this article.
Conflicts: None known.
Sources
Sources are labeled by their role so readers can evaluate the evidence independently.
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Official results
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
2014 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results
Event 322, girls' 4A 1600m: Alexa Efraimson, Camas, 4:33.29 (meet record). The primary record of Washington's girls' best.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
Independent news report
The Columbian.
State track: Camas' Efraimson sets national high school record for 1,600 meters
Contemporary report of the 4:33.29 as a national high-school record, independent of WIAA.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
Independent track-statistics report
MileSplit.
Alexa Efraimson 4:33.29 National Record for 1600!
Reports the time and lap splits, and the national 1600m record it broke.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
Independent news report
The Columbian.
Camas' Efraimson wins 1,600 at state in record time
States that the best 1600m by a Washington high-school girl before 2014 was 4:38.09 by Brie Felnagle in 2005.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
Independent results database
Athletic.net.
Washington girls' high-school outdoor track performance lists, 2014-2026
Season-by-season Washington girls' 1600m leaders, used to confirm no one has beaten 4:33.29 since 2014; each season's list link is in the FactHub dataset.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
Official results
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
2022 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results
All 2022 boys' and girls' 1600m finals.
Archived copy captured October 12, 2026 -
Official results
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
2023 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results
All 2023 boys' and girls' 1600m finals.
Archived copy captured October 12, 2026 -
Official results
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
2024 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results
All 2024 boys' and girls' 1600m finals.
Archived copy captured October 12, 2026 -
Official results
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
2025 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results
All 2025 boys' and girls' 1600m finals.
Archived copy captured October 12, 2026 -
Official results
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).
2026 State 2A-3A-4A Track and Field Championships results
All 2026 boys' and girls' 1600m finals, Mount Tahoma Stadium, Tacoma, May 28-30, 2026.
Archived copy captured October 11, 2026 -
Compiled record list
Wikipedia.
List of United States high school national records in track and field
Lists the girls' mile record of 4:23.50 and its 4:21.81 1600m split (Jane Hedengren, June 5, 2025), with references.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
Independent news report
Runner's World.
A League of Her Own: Jane Hedengren Smashes High School Mile Record By 4 Seconds
Contemporary report of the 4:23.50 national high-school girls' mile record.
Archived copy captured October 14, 2026 -
FactHub dataset
FactHub.
Washington high-school 1600m: the fastest girls ever vs boys' state finals, 2022-2026 (dataset)
Every 1600m finisher, the girls' benchmarks, Washington season leaders, and each calculation in this article, with the scripts that produced them.
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FactHub dataset
Washington high-school 1600m: the fastest girls ever vs boys' state finals, 2022-2026
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Tables: wa-1600-finalists, girls-1600-benchmarks
Saved analysis record-placement
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Tables: wa-1600-finalists, girls-1600-benchmarks
Saved analysis benchmark-counts
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Tables: wa-girls-season-leaders, girls-1600-benchmarks
Saved analysis wa-record-still-stands
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Tables: wa-1600-finalists
Saved analysis top10-by-year
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Tables: wa-1600-finalists
Saved analysis girls-champions-vs-boys
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Tables: wa-1600-finalists
Saved analysis field-sizes
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- FactHub chart wa-boys-1600-finalists-vs-girls-best
- FactHub chart wa-1600-top10-boys-vs-girls
Update history
- First version.
- Replaced the main image (a photo of adult club runners) with an original illustration of a high-school track race, to match the subject without picturing real minors.
Cited by
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- Article Washington's rules let transgender girls compete in girls' school sports.
- Briefing I-638: what it does, and what each side claims
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