The 4-minute mile (Long post - sorry)

[qwertyMike]

1954: Bannister breaks four-minute mile
1954 - I was 10
From BBC.CO.UK

Roger Bannister, a 25-year-old British medical student, has become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.
His time was 3mins 59.4 seconds, achieved at the Iffley Road track in Oxford and watched by about 3,000 spectators.

Bannister, once president of the Oxford club, was running for the Amateur Athletic Association against his old university during their annual match.

The race was carefully planned and he was aided by two pacemakers, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway.

Brasher took the lead as the first pacemaker, Bannister slotted in behind, with Chataway in third place.

When Brasher began to feel the strain, Bannister signalled for Chataway to take over.

Just over 200 yards from the finish, Bannister took the lead with a final burst of energy. He sprinted to the line in record time and fell exhausted into the arms of a friend, the Rev Nicholas Stacey.
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Australian John Landy bettered the Iffley Road record the following month with a time of 3 minutes 57.9 seconds, but Bannister will always be remembered as the man who ran the "miracle mile".
The current fastest mile record is held by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran a time of 3 minutes 43.13 seconds in Rome, Italy, on 7 July 1999.

At the end of 1954, Bannister retired from running to pursue his medical studies full-time and later became a consultant neurologist.
Australian John Landy bettered the Iffley Road record the following month with a time of 3 minutes 57.9 seconds, but Bannister will always be remembered as the man who ran the "miracle mile".
The current fastest mile record is held by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran a time of 3 minutes 43.13 seconds in Rome, Italy, on 7 July 1999.

At the end of 1954, Bannister retired from running to pursue his medical studies full-time and later became a consultant neurologist.
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Chris Chataway became a politician and Minister of Sports
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Chris Brasher won the Gold at the 10,000 meters hurdles in Rome(?) and then became a sports journalist
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From Me Now:

OK they were kind of upper=class chaps who said one wet day "I say, why don't we break the 4 minute mile or climb Everest or something?=================================================================

My point is that they spawned a generation of sportsmen - amateurs all - plumbers steelworkers bankers who weren't paid a penny. The Olympics used to be that way.
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Steroids? Gimme a break. They want big arms and legs and small balls and millions? They can have it. They stand on the shoulders of giants </rant>