One of the most significant names in the history of track & field, in all of sports really, passed away over the weekend. Sir Roger Bannister, the man who broke the mythical 4:00 barrier in the mile. That achievement made him a legend, and that legend only grew when he retired from the sport to embark on a medical career.
He never won an Olympic medal, yet his name is one of the most revered in his sport. In fact, his name is right up there with Jackie Robinson and Pele and others who transcend their sport. Even people who know nothing about track know that Roger Bannister ran the first 4:00 mile. It's an achievement that's still revered 65 years after the fact. They don't run the mile internationally anymore. Yet they still keep the mile world record because of its historical significance.
All these years later, it's still a mythical standard, even if the top world-class men's milers run well below that now (the current world record is 3:43.13). It's not the world record, but it's the mark that everyone strives to reach, and celebrates when they do it for the first time. It's like running the 100 in 10 seconds or the 200 in 20. Or, for women, running the 800 in 2:00 or high jumping two meters.
And everyone will remember that Roger Bannister was the first. Over the past few days, there have been a number of Bannister tribute articles in various publications around the world. I saw one that actually had the gall to argue that he wasn't actually first, and that someone else had run a mile in under four minutes a few weeks earlier. Well, you know what? Even if that is the case, it was never documented. So, you can claim it all you want, but you've got nobody to prove it, so it's like it never happened. It's like the guy who said he "invented" the Fosbury Flop style of high jumping that will always be credited to Dick Fosbury.
As far as the world is concerned, Roger Bannister was the first to do something that was once thought impossible. He's track's Edmund Hillary or Roald Amundsen or Neil Armstrong. Others have climbed Everest and been to the South Pole and walked on the Moon. But they'll always be remembered as the first. They set the standard for those that have followed to aim for. Just like Roger Bannister did.
In the weeks leading up to Bannister's historic four-minute mile, it wasn't a question of if it could be done. It was a question of when. And who. Australian John Landy and American Wes Santee also sought to be the first to break the four-minute barrier. But, on May 6, 1954, it was Bannister who did it. Landy ran his 4:00-mile six weeks later, then they both ran under 4:00 at the 1954 Commonwealth Games, with Bannister lowering the world record in what was almost immediately dubbed the "Race of the Century." Santee, meanwhile, never got there. The best time he ever ran was 4:00.5.
The fact that Bannister did all this while a full-time medical student makes his feat that much more impressive. Track & field was still decades away from being a professional sport where athletes could train full-time. He never viewed running as a profession, and, in fact, Bannister stopped running late in 1954 to pursue a career in neurology, and he always considered his achievements in this field to be more significant than his four-minute mile.
However, he will always be known for the four-minute mile. It's the stuff of legend. It's why he was named the first-ever Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. It's why he's been the subject of so many books and movies. It's why the entire track & field world felt the loss of his passing. And it's why the IAAF took a pause during the World Indoor Championships on Sunday to pay tribute to a man who meant so much to so many.
When London hosted the Olympics in 2012, I was certain Roger Bannister was going to be the final torchbearer. He wasn't, of course, but it would've been so fitting if he had been. Roger Bannister never won an Olympic medal. He finished fourth in the 1500 in 1952 and was no longer running competitively by the time the 1956 Olympics came around. Lighting the cauldron would've been his Olympic moment.
It's funny. As the years went on, Roger Bannister didn't think his four-minute mile was that big a deal. He was wrong. Because if it wasn't that big a deal, he wouldn't be remembered.
That's most certainly not the case, though. Roger Bannister will be always be remembered. He'll always be the man who ran the first four-minute mile. His name is one of the most legendary in track & field history, and it will forever remain that way.
Legends never die. Roger Bannister is a legend. And his impact on the sport of track & field will never be forgotten.
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