Four Minutes of Fame

Remembering Don Bowden's U.S. milestone

By Brad Herzog, Sports Illustrated

When Roger Bannister first ran the Mile in less than 4 minutes, on May 6, 1954, he was hailed the next morning by The New York Times as having achieved "one of man's hitherto unattainable goals." The 4 minute barrier...

My First Sub-4

I see Randy Melancon in the infield. He looks me straight in the eyes, puts his head down and pumps his arms like a sprinter. I remember that like it was yesterday and I still thank him.

By Jim Hill

It sounds simple. Four laps of 440 yards, each just under 60 seconds. The third lap is the...

My First Sub-4

There was a lengthy pause as the three timekeepers compared their watches in order to come up with the official time, and then there was the announcement, “It has happened again!”

By Craig Masback

The quest for my first sub-4 minute Mile began on the streets of Rome and finished on Oxford’s...

My First Sub-4

I remember being on fire crossing the finish line, as if I didn’t want to stop running.

By Eamonn Coghlan

I was barely 18 months old when Roger Bannister became the first person in the world to run a sub-4 minute Mile on May 6, 1954. This historic achievement still resonates 64 years on....

My First Sub-4

Oregon Duck runs “free” to match Bannister’s month, day and time for Norway’s first sub-4 minute Mile

By Arne Kvalheim

I ran my first sub-4 minute Mile on Saturday, May 6, 1967. My time was 3:59.4. The day in May and the time corresponded with the first sub-4 Mile by Roger Bannister in 1954....

A ‘Novice Miler’ Runs the Fastest Mile Ever

New Zealand's burly Peter Snell, starting in one of the few Mile races of his young career, took the lead with 340 yards to go, sprinted away from the field to better Herb Elliott's classic mark by a tenth of a second: "I think I can improve on the Mile time a little."

By Leslie Hobbs, Sports...

Four of Them Made History

"It was a fabulous race, a pleasure to run in. I shall dream about it for years."

By John Lovesey, Sports Illustrated

The six straining runners at the top of this page (there are really seven) are Mike Blagrove, an Englishman; Stanislav Jungwirth, a Czech; Derek Ibbotson, English; Ron Delany,...

A Day to Remember

Said world record holder John Landy, the startled loser: "You ran a 3:58." Jim Bailey glared at him with unsteady indignation and shouted, "Bullswool."

By Paul O'Neil, Sports Illustrated

Saturday, May 5. A day for the dramatic, the spectacular; a day for magical and magnificent events. The...