My Hero – Roger Bannister

Roger Bannister 1954

As a long distance runner I have often admired those that made the history books for my sport.

Before Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile in 1954 many people firmly believed that a man’s heart or his lungs would fail if he ran that fast. (I won’t say what they thought about women’s distance runners and will save that for another post).

Today the current world record holder for the mile is more than 17 seconds below the 4 minute barrier.

Bannister was an unlikely hero.  He wasn’t even a full time athlete as he was a medical student who worked a regular hospital shift in London.  His coach, Archie Mason, was an amputee who had lost his legs in World War II.

Hats off to Roger Bannister and coach Archie Mason for their dedication to the sport and for making believers from non believers.

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