Mile News


Miracle Mile’s starter gun shell donated to Sports Hall

March 11, 2019

The tiny, rare artifact is engraved with the time & date of the legendary race between Roger Bannister & John Landy

By John Mackie, The Vancouver Sun

The Miracle Mile was the highlight of the British Empire Games in 1954. That Saturday, Aug. 7, an excited 35,000 people jammed Empire Stadium to watch the highly anticipated race, along with an estimated 70 million on television.

Vancouver police Sgt. Cookie Ryan had one of the best viewpoints for the race — he was guy that started it.

“It was 2:30 o’clock,” said an Erwin Swangard story in The Vancouver Sun. “The stands hushed as the runner took their marks. Cookie Ryan, veteran Vancouver police officer, raised the gun.

“There was total silence. The gun barked. The field broke perfectly.”

Ryan was proud of his association with the famous race, where England’s Roger Bannister edged his Australian rival, John Landy, 3:58.8 to 3:59.6, the first time two men went sub-4 minutes in the same Mile race. He even kept a memento: the shell casing from the round that started the race.

The casing has been with Ryan’s family since the race. But this week, his son Michael donated it to the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

“I’ve had this in my bedroom for years,” said Michael Ryan. “It was a physical element that keeps me connected to my dad (who died in 1974). I recently turned 51, and I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was being selfish…I could let it go and share it with people.

“If it can say ‘Donated by the family of Howard Cook Ryan,’ and his name is in this place, I think he’d be pretty proud.”

Continue reading at: vancouversun.com

Tags: roger bannister (175) , miracle mile (20) , john landy (35) , commonwealth games (16)

Facebook Comments

Return the Mile to prominence on the American & worldwide sports and cultural landscape by elevating and celebrating the Mile to create a movement.

ELEVATE
Bring Back the Mile as the premier event in the sport, and increase interest in and media coverage of the Mile for both those who love the distance as well as the general public.

CELEBRATE
Bring Back the Mile to celebrate the storied distance and to recognize the people who made and make the Mile great and to promote Mile events and the next generation of U.S. Milers.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Bring Back the Mile to create a national movement for the Mile as America’s Distance,
to inspire Americans to run the Mile as part of their fitness program and to replace the 1600 meters at High School State Track & Field Meets across the country.

Become a Mile Maniac member or a BBTM sponsor today! Join us, and go Mile!

Join Us

Thanks for joining the movement and being a Mile Maniac. We'll keep you up to-date with our Mile wires as well as exclusive contests and opportunities. Help us spread the word by sharing our site and joining us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!