RIP Sir Roger Bannister

3 watchers

D2 Mar 2018 3:50pm, 4 Mar 2018 10,449 posts	0 D2 Sad to hear of his death but it reminds me of my good friend and IMHO unsung hero Tom who came third in that race; en.wikipedia.org bless you too Tom
Fellrunning Mar 2018 8:03pm, 4 Mar 2018 1,934 posts	0 Fellrunning He always regarded his medical career as a greater achievement. Which says, really, all you need to know about the man......
Canute Mar 2018 8:03pm, 4 Mar 2018 1,827 posts	0 Canute I remember well the exciting build up to the sub 4 minute mile. As an Australian, my hopes were pinned on John Landy. The Iffley Road mile in May 1954 was in some respects a rather unsatisfactory event. In those Corinthian days, pacing was regarded as cheating. In the event, Brasher’s control of the pace in the first two laps before he dropped back, was the key thing, as Bannister himself acknowledged; Chataway maintained the required pace in the third lap. When Landy took more than a second off Banister’s time two months later in Turku the situation seemed even less satisfactory. The decider of who really deserved the accolade would have to be the head-to-head in Vancouver in the Empire Games in August. Landy led around the final bend, and as he glanced over his left (inside) shoulder, Bannister stormed past on the outside. Even those of us who had pinned our hopes on Landy felt that the accolade did now truly rest with Bannister. In many ways, that was the most satisfactory outcome. Both were wonderful people and great runners, but the laurel for the 4 minute mile deservedly sits on Bannister's head.