Latest news with #RogerBannister
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
The truth burning bright in a match on fire
An initial introduction to any kind of human endurance in sport perhaps came via a middle school reader. In the early 1980s then, First Four Minutes was the simplest of tales, devoid of lofty prose yet strangely evocative of the eternal struggle that Roger Bannister lived – in his own words – while clocking the first sub-four-minute mile in human history. How short are four minutes exactly, and how much longer is a mile? Who knew. Back then, those questions belonged to bothersome math, best banished for another day. Instead, what struck the kid, forever of bruised knee and little care in the world, was being made aware of the idea of self-doubt, a quiet, dignified foreboding as Bannister prepared, perhaps for failure again. Read full story on TOI+ Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sir Roger Bannister's world-famous record is remembered
Runners in Oxford paid tribute to Sir Roger Bannister with the second annual celebration of his record-breaking sub-four minute mile. On Bank Holiday Monday, the city hosted the Bannister Miles Celebration with a community mile along the High Street, and 24 one-mile track races at the Iffley Road Athletics Track, with four men running under four minutes in the elite race. Three of them hailed from the Wirral, Salford and Preston. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement READ MORE: World-famous train powering through Oxford Just like Sir Roger on May 6 1954, 25-year-old Joe Wigfield took a clear lead on the last lap and smashed through the tape in 3:56.64. (Image: Bannister Miles) Roger Bannister's record-breaking time at the running track on May 6, 1954 was 3:59.4. Sir Roger died in 2018, aged 88. Only a brisk northerly wind held Mr Wigfield back from a track and British Milers Club record. Following closely behind were Jacob Cann, Harry Wakefiled and Tiarnan Crorken, all running under four minutes. Tiarnan becoming the first man to run twice under the four-minute barrier at Iffley Road. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Two Oxford University athletes in the elite race, Alex Gruen and Nicholas Whittaker, came through in 4:04.11and 4:05.29. The track now boasts eight sub-four minute miles in two years – as many as were run in the previous 70 years. (Image: Bannister Miles) It was Cambridge's victory in the elite women's race, as Holly Dixon of Cambridge Harriers crossed the line in 4:40.05, ahead of Hannah Cameron of Aberdeen. Almost 300 athletes took part, many achieving personal bests. The celebration included paralympic-style races and the novel one-mile steeplechase. Thomas Renshaw, organiser of the event for the university's cross-country club, said: 'The celebration goes from strength to strength. It is becoming a magnificent magnet for top milers. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement "Men and women from under-13s to veterans, come here to prove their worth early in the season. "While the Community Mile was another massive success with over 1,200 people running down the High Street and the ever growing 'Family Wave' a highlight of the morning activities.' (Image: Bannister Miles) The event was run in tandem with the British Milers' Club, which has faithfully promoted competition at this distance for 62 years. The second annual Bannister Community Mile saw waves of runners sweep down the High Street and finish on Iffley Road, picking up finisher medals at the Sir Roger Bannister Track. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Chris Thompson, who represented GB in the 2020 Olympic marathon, tooted the starting horn with his son Theo. One of Roger Bannister's great-grandchildren, six-year-old Saskia Townsend, ran in the family wave with her father, Barnaby Townsend. A former Oxford student who saw the original mile race, 92-year-old David Picksley, completed the mile too. (Image: Bannister Miles) The track races were staged on the bright new blue-coloured track constructed by the university. Events of the North, the event management company of former mile world record holder Steve Cram, delivered the celebration with Josie Cram as project manager. The main commercial sponsors were Blake Morgan, a business and personal law firm with offices in Oxford, and Maurten, the scientific sports nutrition company.
Boston Globe
06-05-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: May 6, the Hindenburg crashes in flames in New Jersey
Advertisement In 1889, the Eiffel Tower opened to the public as part of the Paris World's Fair. In 1935, the Works Progress Administration was established under an executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1937, the hydrogen-filled German airship Hindenburg caught fire and crashed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, N.J.; 35 of the 97 people on board and one crew member on the ground were killed. In 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile during a track meet in Oxford, England, finishing in 3:59.4. In 1994, former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed a suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he had sexually harassed her in 1991. (Jones reached a settlement with Clinton in November 1998.) In 1994, the Channel Tunnel, connecting England and France beneath the English Channel, was officially opened in a ceremony attended by Queen Elizabeth II and French president François Mitterrand. Advertisement In 2004, President George W. Bush apologized for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison, calling it 'a stain on our country's honor and reputation,' but rejected calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation.
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Roger Bannister 'would have loved' community mile
The son of Sir Roger Bannister says his father "would have loved" the community mile event taking place in his honour. Sir Roger Bannister ran a mile in three minutes and 59.4 seconds at the city's Iffley Road track on 6 May at the second Bannister Mile event in Oxford on Monday, Thurstan Bannister said the atmosphere was "electric" with people from all ages coming out to take part. "It's really there to encourage people to just try it out and maybe they'll go on to 5k and 10k but it's just an excellent event to get people started. We've got five-year-olds and 95-year-olds". One of those taking part was 92-year-old David Picksley, who witnessed Sir Roger's feat in 1954 and has been a runner all of his life. Speaking after finishing the race, he said "people need to push themselves in whatever they want to do"."If you stop doing what you can do you probably fade away more quickly," he said. "I feel I'm fading away so I've got to keep things going." Also at the event was Olympian and European silver medallist in the 10,000m Chris Thompson and his son Theo, who ran Thompson said he wanted to give his children as many experiences through sport as he could, and that events like the Bannister Mile were a great place for that."It's not always about running a four-minute mile, it's not always about times, it's about the sense of achievement. "So many people come away inspired to run and everyone should feel like they can give it a go if they want to." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Drafting, super spikes: How Faith Kipyegon can become the first woman to run a mile under four minutes
Seventy-one years ago, on May 6, 1954, when Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier to run the mile, he closely followed two pace-setters for more than 80 percent of the race, a technique known as drafting. In 2023, when Faith Kipyegon broke the world record — completing the mile in 4 minutes, 7.64 seconds — she tailed her pace-setters for just the initial 56 percent of the race and ran the rest solo, with no benefit of drafting. Four researchers at London's Royal Society analysed this contrast in the race pattern in their study published in February, and theorised that with improved drafting through pace-setters, a woman runner— particularly Kipyegon — can finally run a mile in under four minutes. The quartet, through a series of calculations and by factoring in multiple scenarios, even estimated the time it would take for Kipyegon to run a mile in perfect conditions: 3 minutes, 59.37 seconds. Weeks later, in April, it was announced that Kipyegon would try to become the first woman runner to break the four-minute barrier. On June 26, the 31-year-old will attempt to do what no woman has ever done at Stade Charléty in Paris in a controlled environment, according to Nike, who sponsor Kipyegon. Last year, at a Diamond League race at the same stadium, Kipyegon set the 1,500m world record by clocking 3 minutes, 49.04 seconds. To complete a mile, she'll have to run an additional 109 metres, approximately. According to experts, Kipyegon will have to run two seconds faster per lap to finish in under four minutes. And a range of factors, from wind to shoe technology to pace-setting will play a crucial role in determining if she can be successful. Why it is crucial for a woman to run a mile under four minutes? It might be tempting to dismiss the attempt as a marketing gimmick, but the run will hold deeper significance. It is fitting, in a way, that Kipyegon's record attempt comes before the 2028 Olympics. A century ago, at the 1928 Amsterdam Games, women competed in track-and-field events for the first time. However, the 800m race remains one of the most controversial ones — not because of the result but the exclusion that followed. By the time the nine women who started the race crossed the finish line, they collapsed to the ground. It prompted the race officials to speculate that they were all exhausted and for the 32 years that followed — from the 1932 Olympics to the 1960 Games — women were not allowed to compete in a race longer than 200m at the Olympics. It was only in 1984 that the women's marathon became a part of the Olympic programme. The Royal Society research noted that in May 1954, shortly after Bannister became the first human to run a mile in less than four minutes, Diane Leather became the first woman athlete to run the distance under five minutes, completing the race in 4 minutes, 59.6 seconds. The women's record has progressed gradually since then and peaked when Kipyegon clocked 4 minutes, 7.64 seconds. The next best is nearly four seconds slower. During these years, more than 2,000 men have run a mile in under four minutes, according to The New York Times. In this context, running a sub-4 minute mile is the next frontier for women runners. Improved pace-setting Nike, who are assisting Kipyegon to achieve this milestone, haven't revealed much in terms of race conditions. However, the Royal Society study theorised the possible conditions in which this can be done and the key among them was pace-setting. Drafting is a strategy where a runner closely follows another athlete running in front of her, thus reducing wind resistance and energy expenditure. When Kipyegon set the world record in 2023, she ran her fourth lap alone. It meant whatever help she could get from drafting — thus helping her shave off a few milliseconds — wasn't there. When she attempts the sub-four mark, the researchers predicted 'one pacer (can run) 1.2m in front of a designated athlete combined with a second pacer 1.2 m behind the designated athlete.' By running in a formation, Kipyegon can potentially run faster without spending more energy, the researchers said. 'With 75.6 percent drafting effectiveness, our calculations predict that Kipyegon could run 3:59.37. Coincidentally, that is essentially the same time that Bannister ran in his first 4-minute mile,' the study noted. The pace-setters could be substituted to ensure fresh legs, the research suggested. It was a strategy Kipyegon's compatriot, Eliud Kipchoge, used when he broke the two-hour barrier in the marathon six years ago. However, since that isn't permitted under World Athletics rules, the time clocked will not be officially considered, as was the case with Kipchoge's run. Not just the formation of the pace-setters, the equipment too will be key. The super spikes, running shoes with foam cushioning and carbon-fibre plates that are springy, will further increase the chances of breaking the record. No-to-little wind will also aid Kipyegon's run.
