The Roger Bannister Interview

Sir Roger Bannister, 85, on the day he made history - and why he'd rather be remembered for his neurology than his running

By Jane Graham, The Big Issue

At 16 I was focused on getting to Oxford. No member of my family had studied there. It was quite difficult to get into Oxford then. I was...

Magic of the Mile

Media director of Running USA and BBTM Founder, Ryan Lamppa, is determined to bring the Mile back into prominence

By John Zant, Santa Barbara Independent

Roger Bannister broke through the 4-minute barrier in the Mile run on May 6, 1954. It remains the most memorable performance in track...

Why the Mile still matters

Because we've all run a Mile at least once in our lives, we understand and can be wowed by Bannister's feat.

Stephen Meyers, The Coloradoan

Sixty years ago Tuesday, Roger Bannister did something many thought would kill him: He ran a sub-four-minute Mile.

For decades, people had speculated...

Lessons from Roger Bannister and the first sub-4 minute Mile

To go fast, you must plan ahead

By Michael Overall, Tulsa World

With the starter pistol still echoing through the Oxford stadium, Cambridge runner Chris Brasher jumped to an early lead, but he had no intention of winning the race.

A 25-year-old medical student, Roger Bannister, followed...

Why the Mile Is Dead (and Worth Saving)

Sixty years removed from Roger Bannister’s breakthrough run, the distance is all but dead in the U.S. But a new organization hopes to change all that—and rebuild running from the Mile up.

By Monica Prelle, Outside Magazine

Rounding the bend to the final straightaway of the 1964 Compton...

Beating John Landy stands above record: Roger Bannister

“Vancouver was the pinnacle of my athletics career. It is very difficult to break records during Olympic competition, but winning races was better than holding world records.”

By AFP for The Australian

Sixty years since becoming the first man to run a Mile in under four minutes, Roger...

After 60 years, sub-4 minute Mile still the standard for runners

Henry Marsh: "My dreams and goals were around the Mile and running a sub-4 Mile.”

By Doug Robinson, Deseret News

Like so many others around the world, Henry Marsh noted the 60th anniversary this week of Roger Bannister’s historic feat. On May 6, 1954, Bannister became the first man to break 4...

The Four-Minute Man, Forever

Franz Stampfl, his coach, implored him to run in a meet between Oxford and the Amateur Athletic Association: “He said to me, ‘Although the conditions are not ideal, if you don’t take this opportunity, you might not forgive yourself for the rest of your life.’ He was right.”

By Jesse Will, The...

Roger Bannister showed us how to combine sport and everyday living

What's astonishing about Bannister's 4 minute Mile in 1954 is that he was an amateur. He even worked on the day of the race

By John Bryant, The Guardian

Things were very different 60 years ago when Roger Bannister became an icon to Britain and the empire by becoming the first to break the 4...

In sports world, some numbers are just magic

Every sport that can be quantified has them — sub-4-minute Mile, 50 goals, 50 points, 59 strokes, 20 wins, .400 batting average, 2,000 yards rushing …

By Philip Hersh, Chicago Tribune

Sam Penzenstadler was shocked.

The Loyola University junior had just lowered his personal best by nine...