PUBLISHED 09/25/2006
The Pioneer: Sir Roger Bannister
On a chilly May evening in 1954, Roger Bannister lunged across the finish line of Oxford University's Iffley Road Track, his head back and eyes closed, accomplishing what was once thought impossible: breaking four minutes in the mile.
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| ©Patrik Giardino |
On May 6 of this year, Bannister, now 75, returned to the scene of his triumph for speeches, remembrances, and some fast laps. Standing trackside, Bannister rang the same bell used 50 years ago to signal the final lap in the commemorative race, fittingly won in a track record 3:56.64 by Australia's Craig Mottram. Bannister retired from competitive running two years after his historic run and became an esteemed neurologist and head of the U.K.'s largest sporting council. In 1975, he was knighted for his contributions to sports and medicine. "Neurology has been a lifelong pursuit for me," says the modest miler. "Running was an affair of youth." Still, happy anniversary, Sir.
