The Miracle Mile

Tomorrow marks the 60th anniversary of the Four-Minute Mile. It was on May 6, 1954 when Roger Bannister ran 1 mile in just 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. This is considered as the most iconic sporting moments in history.

Before that, it was believed that no human being can break the 4 minute barrier. It was impossible! The world record for the 1 mile back then was 4:01.4 by Gunder Hägg in 1945.

But that didn’t stop runners from testing the limits. Several other milers wanted to break the 4-minute barrier. Among them was Roger Bannister (GBR), John Landy (AUS) and Wes Santee (USA).  But Bannister ran very early in the session and made history.

Six weeks later, in June 21, John Landy also broke the 4-minute mile barrier in a separate event.  He broke Bannister’s 1 mile record with a 3:57.9.  The rivalry between the two runners became more intense.

Statue of Bannister and Landy in Vancouver

During the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada, Roger Bannister and John Landy had the chance to ran head-to-head in the 1 mile event.  It was truly a battle of the champions.  The event was dubbed as “The Miracle Mile”.

Both runners broke the 4 minute barrier. But who won?

Watch the video below to find out.  The Miracle Mile is one of the most dramatic athletics event in history.

The current world record for the 1 Mile is at 3:43.13 by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco last  July 7, 1999.  No woman athlete has broke the 4 minute barrier yet.

Can you run a Miracle Mile too?