The one big secret to doing more than you think you can
By Mark van Dijk
Picture it: Oxford University, May 6, 1954. The Iffley Road running track. Roger Bannister has just become the first person in the world to run a mile (1.6km) in less than four minutes.
Before this achievement, the four-minute mile was thought to be impossible. You’d have to run at 15 miles (24km) per hour, they said. It couldn’t be done, they said.
Obviously, they were wrong. What happened next was even more interesting. Just two months later, the record was broken again – and again.
In the 65-odd years since then, more than 1,400 runners have cracked the four-minute mile, which has become the standard for male professional middle-distance runners.