The 4 minute mile was once considered an impossible milestone. Many athletes had tried to break that barrier for decades, and had failed. It was almost becoming a mental block of sorts for the entire world. And then on an otherwise ordinary afternoon in May 1954, Sir Roger Bannister performed an extraordinary feat. He clocked 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds, on completing the mile. The Iffley Road track, where this historic record was registered, had witnessed one of the finest moments in earthly endeavor. Bannister’s achievement has been aptly described by some experts, as the greatest sporting moment of the last century. It represented a human breakthrough in the truest sense of the word. To paraphrase a famous quote, ‘it might just have been under four minutes for one man, but it felt like an eternity in coming for mankind’. Astounding though this event certainly was, what perhaps gets overlooked is what followed Bannisters feat. Taking Bannister’s cue, 30 athletes broke the four minute barrier within the year. The next year that number had mounted to three hundred. Just goes to show the power of an inspiring example in overcoming impossible odds. The mere knowledge, that someone else could do it, pulls many of us over the line. That is the cerebral stimulus a precedent offers. So if you are in a tight spot, and are in a situation where you think you are running alone, take a long hard look around. Someone else on another day, might have overcome the same hurdles on the very same track. Or maybe, and perhaps more inspiringly, you are the Bannister of the field, in whose footsteps scores will follow later. Keep running!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 11:55:46 +0000
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