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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 30 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Four Minute Mille
| Who held the women's mile record on the 50th anniversary of the first 4 minute mile (men's)? | The Four Minute Mile
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Svetlana Masterkova. The Russian Masterkova ran 4:12.56 at Zurich in 1996 (she did 3:56.77 en-route at 1500m). Romanian Paula Ivan is still second on the all time list (4:15.61) got the record in 1989. Both Puica (Romania) and Slaney (USA) have held the record for the distance.
| Who became the first woman to run the mile in under 5 minutes, just 23 days after the first sub 4 minute mile? | The Four Minute Mile
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Diane Leather. The Romanian Edith Treybal had set the record (5:00.3) on 1st November 1953 at Timisoara. This was beaten by Britain Diane Leather on 26th May 1954 at Birmingham (5:00.2), three days later she tried again this time running 4:59.6. Britain Anne Smith was the first offical record holder of the women's mile in 1967. Nina Pletnyova held the woman's 1500m record (4:37.0) at the time of Bannister's feat.
1609. There are 1760 yards in a mile.
John Walker. John Walker (New Zealand) broke Filbert Bayi's (Tanzania) record in Goteborg in 1975 with 3:49.4. Steve Ovett (Britain) held the mile record twice, and Steve Scott set the American record at 3:47.69 in 1982 (and it was still standing 22 years later on the 50th anniversary). Walker later improved to 3:49.06 in 1982.
Jim Ryun. Jim Ryun who ran 3:52.8 also held the world record at the time (3:51.1) set in 1967. Foster (Britain) ran 3:55.9 that year. Vasala (Finland) won the Olympic 1500m title that year. Jazy (France) had held the world mile record in 1965, a time that remained a European mile record until 1975.
| Which time was run by the athlete who held the world mile record, on the 50th anniversary of the first 4 minute? | The Four Minute Mile
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3:43.12. Hicham El Guerrouj broke the record in Rome on 7th July 1999, beating Noah Ngeny who ran 3:43.40, in what was a great race. 3rd was Rui Silva of Portugal in 3:50.91. Guerrouj ran 55.21 for his last lap, the leaders quarter mile splits were 55.07, 1:51.58 and 2:47.91.
| Who broke the world mile record in 1999, and still held 5 years later, on the 50th anniversary of the first 4 minute mile? | The Four Minute Mile
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Hicham El Guerrouj. El Guerrouj of Morocco (3:43:13), Ngeny of Kenya (3:43.40), Morceli of Algeria (3:44.39) and Cram of England (3:46.32) were the first fastest milers on the time of the 50th anniversary.
Chris Chataway. Chattaway ran 4:07.2, third was Tom Hulatt (4:16.0), fourth was Scotsman Alan Gordon and sixth was Brasher. American George Dole was the other man in the field.
R.G. Bannister. On 6th May 1954, the 25 year old Roger Gilbert Bannister (of England) ran the mile in 3:59.4. He was paced by first Chris Brasher and then Chris Chataway. Australian John Landy ran the second sub 4 minute mile in 3.58.0. Wes Santee, from Kansas, although a contender for the first sub-four mile, never achieved it. Gunder Hagg (Sweden) had held the mile record previously (4:01.03, set 9 years earlier in July 1945).
| Although running under four minutes for the mile soon became quite commonplace, John Landy's record of 3:58.0. would stand for almost three years before being bettered. Who broke Landy's record? | The Four Minute Mile
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Derek Ibbotson. Derek Ibbotson from Yorkshire in England broke Landy's record at White City on July 19, 1957. His time of 3:57.2 heralded another rush of fast times and the record dropped with increasing regularity. John Walker of New Zealand became the first man to break the 3:50 barrier, when he ran 3:49.4 on August 12, 1975.
Roger Bannister . Landy, realising that he must have a fast pace, took the lead shortly before the end of the first lap. Once into his rhythm he quickly put distance between himself and the rest of the field. At the half way mark Landy had put 10 yards between himself and Bannister. At this stage Bannister was having trouble. Unlike Landy he needed someone to 'pull' him round the track and the distance between them was becoming too great. Landy opened the lead to 15 yards. Bannister increased his speed in order to regain contact and at the bell he was at Landy's elbow. With 220 yards to go Landy had a lead of three yards and looked set to win. But as they entered the final straight Bannister unleashed his famed final kick and swept past Landy to win by some four yards. The winning time was 3:58.6.
| The two men, Bannister and Landy, who had broken four minutes for the mile were to meet in an epic contest that same year. What was the name of the games/championships at which they finally faced each other? | The Four Minute Mile
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Empire Games. Landy and Bannister came together on August 7, 1954 at Vancouver, Canada in what was then known as the Empire Games. Billed as 'The Mile of the Century', it was one of the most eagerly awaited contests ever seen in athletics. Such was the excitement generated by this race that the rest of the Games became mere window dressing. Landy was a strong favorite to win by virtue of his recent times and seemingly greater stamina. Observing his training methods one athlete commented "He (Landy) certainly is a machine." Landy predicted that a 4:02 mile would be enough to beat Bannister and that was a time that he could run easily in his present form.
Iffley Road. Oxford. The first sub four minute mile was run at Iffley Road Oxford in May 1954. Iffley Road stadium was a sparse affair with a cinder track and very open to the wind. In those days times were taken by stopwatch and they were some way away from guaging performance times down to the thousandths of a second.
| What was the name of the American miler whose attempt on the four minute barrier resulted in a new 1500 metre world record, but failed to crack four minutes for the full mile? | The Four Minute Mile
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Wes Santee. Wes Santee was America's top miler of the time and he was widely tipped to be the first to beat four minutes for the mile. His attempt on June 5, 1954 was a superb run but he failed by fractions to beat four minutes. He went through 1500 metres in the time of 3:42.8. a new world record for that distance and it seemed certain that he would crack not only the four minute barrier but the world record as well. However, Santee faltered on the home straight and his time of 4:00.6 was just six-tenths of a second outside four minutes. He had become the third fastest miler of all time but had failed to achieve his goal. Santee would never run as fast again.
John Landy. At Turku in Finland just 46 days after Bannister's epic achievement, John Landy of Australia smashed Bannister's record by a second and a half: his time was 3:58.0. Landy's run was all the more remarkable by virtue of the fact that he did not use a pacemaker. He took the race on from the front and stayed there. Chris Chataway, one of Bannister's pacemakers and a participant in the race against Landy (he came second) was astonished. Bannister had needed both Chataway and Brasher to get him around in record time, but Landy had run from the front and done all the work himself.
English. Roger Bannister was born in 1929 and typified the 'gentleman amateur'. He studied medicine at Oxford and was later awarded a Knighthood for his achievments. His inspiration for athletics would seem to have been another great old English miler, Sydney Wooderson.
| Bannister had two well known pacemakers to help in his record breaking run. What were their names? | The Four Minute Mile
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Chris Chataway & Chris Brasher. Both Chataway and Brasher were fine athletes in their own right. Chataway was an excellent 5,000 metre/three miler and Brasher went on to win Olympic gold in the 3,000 metre Steeplechase in Melbourne.
3:59.4.. Because of the windy conditions Bannister had to run harder, to beat the four minute barrier, than he intended. He reckoned that his run was equivalent to a 3:56 mile. At 1500 metres he clocked 3:43 which was world record pace, but fifty yards from the finish he looked, and was, completely used up. Somehow he kept his momentum and went into the history books as 'First to...'
| The world record for the mile went under four minutes for the first time on May 6, 1954. Who was the first man to accomplish this feat? | The Four Minute Mile
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Roger Bannister. Roger Bannister was possibly the first top class athlete to adopt a scientific approach to his training methods. Studying to be a Doctor of Medicine (he put in a full day at his training hospital on the day that he broke the record) he had a small room kitted out with a treadmill (not automatic) oxygen mask and heart monitor. He would drive himself into the ground running on the treadmill in order to assess his lung/heart capacity and to assess his ability to run the mile under four minutes. Conditions were not good on the day, very blowy, and Bannister was not hopeful of gaining the required result. Nevertheless, he achieved his aim and the flood gates opened as one after another of his competitors broke the 'magic' barrier.
| Dr Roger Bannister was knighted and became Sir Roger Bannister, ironically in the same year that a mile was run under 3 minutes and 50 seconds for the first time. In what year did he receive his knighthood? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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1975. John Walker of New Zealand ran a mile in Sweden in a time of 3:49.4, exactly 10 seconds quicker than the first sub four-minute mile 21 years earlier. Sir Roger Bannister was also Chairman of the Sports Council of Great Britain from 1971-1974, and President of the International Council for Sport and Recreation from 1976-1983.
| Sir Roger Bannister completed his medical studies and became a respected practitioner in his chosen field. What branch of medicine did he concentrate on? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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Neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons treat the brain, the spine, and the spinal cord with both surgery (as their name implies) and also non-invasive techniques. Sir Roger has written a textbook on the subject called, 'Brain and Bannister's Clinical Neurology'.
None. 4th place in the 1500m in 1952 was the only time that he would compete in an Olympic Game. At the end of 1954, he retired from running competitively to concentrate on his medical studies. He would continue running as a means of keeping fit until 1975, when he broke an ankle in a car accident.
| In August 1954, Roger Bannister won a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the mile. It was a such an amazing race between Bannister and one other runner, that a statue of the two stands outside the stadium in Vancouver capturing the moment at which Bannister took the lead. Who is the other runner depicted on that statue? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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John Landy, Australia. John Landy took a big early lead, but Bannister didn't panic and kept to a pace that enabled him to catch Landy at the top of the home straight, and sprint past him to victory. Their times were 3:58.8 and 3:59.6, the first occasion that two runners had gone under four minutes in the same race.
| Many people had said that running a four-minute mile was 'impossible'. So when Roger Bannister achieved that feat, he was breaking a psychological barrier as well as a physical one. What was Bannister's recorded time for that historic event? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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3 minutes 59.4 seconds. In 1954, there were no electronic scoreboards, so the crowd had to wait for the time to be announced. Nobody heard more than just the word 'three' because the roar of the crowd completely drowned out the rest of the announcement.
| Roger Bannister's failure at the 1952 Olympics galvanized him into making a concerted effort to break the magical four-minute barrier. On the 6th May 1954, he succeeded with the help of two runners whose more aggressive early running style helped set the tempo. What were the names of those two athletes? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway. Chris Brasher took the early lead with Roger Bannister in 2nd place. When Brasher began to tire, Chris Chataway came to the front to hold the lead until about halfway through the final lap. Roger Bannister sprinted past him and managed to maintain that speed all the way to the finish.
| In 1951, Roger Bannister captured the British mile record. In 1952, he was in such good form that he was seen by many as the favorite for the Olympic 1500m. However, his result in Helsinki was a disappointment. Where did he finish in that event? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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4th. Even though he was just one place away from winning a medal, this did not sit well with the British public. Their mood was not helped by the fact that the British team as a whole did much worse than had been expected. Bannister, being in a high profile event, copped more flak for the poor overall performance than was warranted.
| Although Roger Bannister is best known for running the mile and the 1500m, he won a bronze medal in the 1950 European Championship while competing in another event. For what event did he win that bronze medal? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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800m. His powerful sprint finish was well suited to the 800m.
| In the late 1940s, Roger Bannister adopted a Swedish training technique called Fartlek, which involved an easy running pace at training interspersed with short sprints. Which aspect of his running did that significantly improve? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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His sprint finish. His sprint finish became famous enough for some commentators to call it the 'Bannister Burst'.
| Roger Gilbert Bannister was born on the 23rd March 1929 in the country for which he would do all his international running. Where was he born? | Just a Four-Minute Hero?
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Harrow, England. He was born to working class parents from the North of England. His family moved to Bath at the start of World War II, where he attended the City of Bath Boys' Grammar School.
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