Eighty-five-year-old retired doctor Roger Bannister sold his old leather shoes for 266,500 pounds. This was no ordinary pair of shoes. They are a piece of history and a symbol of the power of belief to break down barriers. Roger was wearing these shoes when he did what people in the 1950’s thought was impossible: he ran a mile in under 4 minutes. 3 minutes 59.4 seconds, to be exact.
For years, the world’s top runners could not break the 4-minute mile. Some even thought it was physiologically impossible for a human to run faster than that. One of Bannister’s running rivals, Australian, John Landry spent two years seeking to break the record. From 1952 to 1954, he ran the mile at 4:02.1, 4:02.6, 4:02.8, 4:02.5, 4:02.7 and 4:02.3. After this last attempt, he said: “Frankly, I think the four-minute mile is beyond my capabilities. Two seconds may not sound much, but to me, it’s like trying to break through a brick wall. Someone may achieve the four-minute mile the world is wanting so desperately, but I don’t think I can.”
Meanwhile, Bannister, a medical student in England, was working to break the same record. Just two years earlier, Bannister was the favorite to win the mile in the Helsinki Olympics. He came in 4th. He was disappointed and defeated, but he didn’t give up.
1954 was Bannister’s final year of medical school. Even though he had only 45 minutes to train each day, he did have a couple of advantages. Through his medical studies, he knew that the body used less oxygen by running at a steady pace. And perhaps just as importantly, unlike Landry, he believed in himself. He regularly visualized his success as part of his training.
On the day of the race, Bannister waited for the wind to die down. His shoes were specially designed to be light, and he had even shaved them down further himself. Everything was ready, and according to his plan, he paced himself perfectly, running around the track. In the last lap, he exploded with a mixture of emotions that he described as fear and pride. He collapsed as he crossed the finish line, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
What was once impossible soon became taken for granted. Breaking the 4-minute mile is to this day an extreme accomplishment, but hundreds have done it, including a handful of high school students. Even stranger, Landry, the man who previously said he could not do it, ended up breaking the 4-minute barrier just 46 days after Bannister. All he needed was a little extra belief, which Bannister’s feat provided. What barriers could you break if you believed strongly enough?
Slow Speed Video:
Normal Speed Video:
References:
https://sportsscientists.com/2009/01/mind-vs-matter/
https://www.nomeatathlete.com/4-minute-mile-certainty/
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1870453
Eighty-five-year-old retired doctor Roger Bannister sold his old shoes for 266,500 pounds. These were not regular shoes. They are a piece of history and a symbol of the power of belief. Roger was wearing these shoes when he did what people in the 1950’s thought was impossible. He ran a mile in under 4 minutes.
For years, the world’s runners could not break the 4-minute mile. Some even thought it was impossible for a person to run faster than that. Australian, John Landry spent two years trying to break the record. From 1952 to 1954, he ran the mile at 4:02.1, 4:02.6, 4:02.8, 4:02.5, 4:02.7 and 4:02.3. He finally said: “Two seconds may not sound much, but to me it’s like trying to break through a… wall.”
At the same time, Bannister, a medical student in England, was working to break the same record. Just two years earlier, Bannister was the favorite to win the mile at the Olympics. He came in 4th. He was disappointed, but he didn’t give up.
1954 was Bannister’s final year of medical school. Even though he had only 45 minutes to train each day, he did have a couple of advantages. Through his medical studies, he knew that the body used less oxygen by running at a steady pace. More important, unlike Landry, he believed in himself. He regularly visualized his success as part of his training.
On the day of the race, Bannister waited for the wind to die down. His shoes were light. Everything was ready. He paced himself perfectly, running around the track. As he crossed the finish line, he fell down, and the crowd cheered.
What was once impossible soon became taken for granted. Breaking the 4-minute mile is still an accomplishment, but hundreds have done it. Even a handful of high school students have run a 4-minute mile. Landry, the man who once said he could not do it, also ended up breaking the 4-minute mile 46 days after Bannister. All he needed was a little extra belief, which Bannister provided.
Slow Speed Video:
Normal Speed Video:
References:
https://sportsscientists.com/2009/01/mind-vs-matter/
https://www.nomeatathlete.com/4-minute-mile-certainty/
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1870453
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