Roger Bannister...the first man to run a sub 4 min mile passes away aged 88

Roger Bannister, the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, has died at the age of 88. In May of 1954, he became the first man to break the 4 minute barrier for the mile with a time of three minutes 59.4 seconds.

A statement from his family said: "Sir Roger Bannister, died peacefully in Oxford on 3 March, aged 88, surrounded by his family who were as loved by him, as he was loved by them."



John Walshe of Ballycotton sent on the following article...


MILE CONNECTION

A low-key 10km road race in a small Irish village was the unlikely setting for a meeting between two people with historic miling connections, writes John Walshe

Ballyhooly in North Cork has, for the past number of years, staged an annual race in honour of its most famous son, Olympian John Hartnett.

Winner of the International (now World) Junior cross-country title in 1970, Hartnett went on to have a chequered career at Villanova University where he broke Ronnie Delany’s Irish mile record with a time of 3:54.7 in 1973.

The following year he set an Irish 1500m record of 3:38.1 as well as running 3:56.3 for the mile on grass at the Cork City Sports.

Now living in New Jersey, Hartnett was home to start this year’s race and present the prizes and in a unique coincidence he met up with Julius Bannister - grandson of Sir Roger Bannister - who was on holiday in the area.

In his first-ever road race,15-year-old Julius from Notting Hill recorded a time of 50:39 which won him the junior award.

Julian Bannister & John Hartnett

Links...
1) 6th May 2014...60th anniversary of the first sub 4 minute mile
2) Bannister recounts the first sub 4 minute mile...
3) Unique Meeting at Ballyhooly by John Walshe 

Unique Meeting at Ballyhooly by John Walshe

The following short article was written by John Walshe...

UNIQUE MEETING AT BALLYHOOLY

Last Sunday’s Ballyhooly 10km road race saw a unique meeting between two people with historic miling connections.

The race is held in honour of local man John Hartnett and this year the 1972 Olympian was on hand to start the event and present the prizes. During a chequered career at Villanova University, Hartnett broke Ronnie Delany’s Irish mile record with a time of 3:54.7.

Amongst the competitors in Sunday’s low-key but friendly race was a young man from Notting Hill in London bearing the famous name of Bannister. Julius Bannister, grandson of Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile under four minutes, was on holiday in the village and in his first-ever road race won the junior prize in a time of 50:39.

Roger Bannister achieved immortality on May 6th, 1954, when he ran the mile in 3:59.4 at the Iffley Road track in Oxford – 20 years later John Hartnett covered the same distance on the grass track of the Mardyke in 3:56.3, a feat that’s portrayed in an iconic photograph that can be seen on the wall in the reception area of the Mardyke Arena Health & Leisure Centre.

Picture shows John Hartnett and Julius Bannister at the prize-giving in Ballyhooly

John Hartnett 10k results

6th May 2014...60th anniversary of the first sub 4 minute mile

On the 6th of May 1954, Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile for the very first time. Running on a cinder track in Oxford, it remains to this day one of the most iconic moments of athletics history.

Back in the early 50's, there were a number of middle distance runners who had ran close to the 4 minute barrier but many considered it impossible to break. In a subsequent interview, Bannister said..."There was no logic in my mind that if you can run a mile in 4 minutes, 1 and 2/5ths, you can't run it in 3:59. I knew enough medicine and physiology to know it wasn't a physical barrier, but I think it had become a psychological barrier."

As for the race itself.......Bannister had lined up English runners Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway as pacemakers. He tucked in behind Brasher, a steeplechaser, who ran the first lap in 58 seconds and the first half-mile in 1:58. Chataway moved to the front and took them through three laps in 3:01. Bannister would have to run the final lap in 59 seconds.

His long arms and legs pumping, his lungs gasping for oxygen, he surged in front of Chataway with about 300 yards to go. "I then went flat out for the finishing line, and just about managed to stagger over it," he said. "I couldn't stand at the end."

The chief timekeeper was Harold Abrahams, the 100-meter champion at the 1924 Paris Olympics whose story inspired the film "Chariots of Fire." He handed a piece of paper to Norris McWhirter, who announced the time: "3...". "That was when the crowd exploded and we didn't hear any more," Bannister said. "It didn't matter what the rest was."



The record didn't stand for long however. Six weeks later, John Landy of Australia ran 3:57.9 in Turku, Finland. The current record stands at 3:43.13, held by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj since 1999. Bannister would lower his own record to 3:58.8 in Vancouver in 1954.

To commemorate the 60th anniversary, Farranfore Maine-Valley AC are holding a series of one mile races on Tuesday evening the 6th of May 2014 in Farranfore, Co.Kerry. More info on the Running in Munster site.

Former 5000m record holder Chris Chataway dies age 82

Back on the 6th of May 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first ever sub 4 minute mile. On the day, his two pacemakers were Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway. Last Sunday the 19th of January, Chris Chataway passed away aged 82.

Although he will possibly be best remembered for playing a part in breaking the 4 minute barrier, he had a short but successful athletics career of his own. Bannister's coach at the time Franz Stampfl also coached Chataway who went on to become the 4th man to break the 4 minute barrier in 1955. On the 13th of October 1954, Chataway set a new world record for the 5,000m when he ran 13:51.6. In the European Championships in 1954 in Switzerland, he won silver.

Even though he retired from international athletics back in 1956, he continued to be involved in the  athletics and running with his club. As recently as 2006, he ran the Great North Run Half-Marathon in Newcastle in 1:38:50 aged 75.

The BBC have an article on the late Chris Chataway here...http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/athletics/25801188

Progression of the mile record...

Of all the world records, the sub 4 minute mile is possibly one of the most famous. This video clip shows how it has progressed over the years...


3:59.4...Roger Bannister     United Kingdom    6 May 1954 Oxford
3:58.0...John Landy     Australia    21 June 1954 Turku
3:57.2...Derek Ibbotson     United Kingdom    19 July 1957 London
3:54.5...Herb Elliott     Australia    6 August 1958 Santry, Dublin
3:54.4...Peter Snell     New Zealand    27 January 1962 Wanganui
3:54.1...Peter Snell     New Zealand    17 November 1964 Auckland
3:53.6...Michel Jazy     France    9 June 1965 Rennes
3:51.3...Jim Ryun     United States    17 July 1966 Berkeley, Cal.
3:51.1...Jim Ryun     United States    23 June 1967 Bakersfield, Cal.
3:51.0...Filbert Bayi     Tanzania    17 May 1975 Kingston
3:49.4...John Walker     New Zealand    12 August 1975 Göteborg
3:49.0...Sebastian Coe     United Kingdom    17 July 1979 Oslo
3:48.8...Steve Ovett     United Kingdom    1 July 1980 Oslo
3:48.53...Sebastian Coe     United Kingdom    19 August 1981 Zürich
3:48.40...Steve Ovett     United Kingdom    26 August 1981 Koblenz
3:47.33...Sebastian Coe     United Kingdom    28 August 1981 Bruxelles
3:46.32...Steve Cram     United Kingdom    27 July 1985 Oslo
3:44.39...Noureddine Morceli     Algeria    5 September 1993 Rieti
3:43.13...Hicham El Guerrouj     Morocco    7 July 1999 Rome

Bannister recounts the first sub 4 minute mile...

In a recent interview, 82-year-old Roger Bannister recounts the time back on the 6th of May 1954 when he ran 3:59.4 to break the four minute mile barrier for the first time. Running on a cinder track in Oxford, it remains to this day one of the most iconic moments of athletics history.

During the interview, Bannister said...."It's amazing that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have broken the 4-minute mile."

Back in the early 50's, there were a number of middle distance runners who had ran close to the 4 minute barrier. Bannister said..""There was no logic in my mind that if you can run a mile in 4 minutes, 1 and 2/5ths, you can't run it in 3:59. I knew enough medicine and physiology to know it wasn't a physical barrier, but I think it had become a psychological barrier."

As for the race itself.......
Bannister had lined up English runners Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway as pacemakers. He tucked in behind Brasher, a steeplechaser, who ran the first lap in 58 seconds and the first half-mile in 1:58. Chataway moved to the front and took them through three laps in 3:01. Bannister would have to run the final lap in 59 seconds.

His long arms and legs pumping, his lungs gasping for oxygen, he surged in front of Chataway with about 300 yards to go. "I then went flat out for the finishing line, and just about managed to stagger over it," he said. "I couldn't stand at the end."

The chief timekeeper was Harold Abrahams, the 100-meter champion at the 1924 Paris Olympics whose story inspired the film "Chariots of Fire." He handed a piece of paper to Norris McWhirter, who announced the time: "3...". "That was when the crowd exploded and we didn't hear any more," Bannister said. "It didn't matter what the rest was."

The record didn't stand for long. Six weeks later, John Landy of Australia ran 3:57.9 in Turku, Finland. (The current record stands at 3:43.13, held by Morocco's Hicham El Guerrouj since 1999.). Bannister would lower his own record to 3:58.8 in Vancouver in 1954.

The full article can be seen HERE