On May 6, 1954, British athlete Roger Bannister defied the odds of what was perceived as humanly possible by breaking the 4 minute mile barrier. This year is the 60th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister’s World Record breaking achievement and to celebrate, aat events are hosting a 4 minute mile fundraising event at Guildford Spectrum’s bespoke athletics track.
Bannister completed his mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at Iffley Road Track in Oxford during a meet between British AAA and Oxford University in front of about 3,000 spectators and was broadcast live by BBC Radio. Although Bannisters’ record only lasted 46 days, his extraordinary achievement was in breaking down the mental barrier for athletes to believe running that fast was possible.
Unfortunately, Roger was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011 and so Parkinson’s has become the official event charity. South East Regional Fundraiser for Parkinson’s UK, Alyson Smith said, “I am delighted to be supporting this special historic occasion and raise awareness for Parkinson’s UK. Over 127,000 people in the UK are affected by the condition, and we are here to ensure no one faces Parkinson’s alone. I look forward to seeing you at the event!”
You can sign up to complete one lap in your best time, which costs £5 per person, or you can sign up for unlimited laps for £15 to have a few goes at getting a Personal Best. Every runner will be chip timed and receive a medal for their great effort and for a small extra fee you can even get your medal engraved with your best time by the trackside engraver.
There will be set starts for Kids and Elites (start times to be published soon), but everyone else can join a start whenever suits them between 9am and 12pm. Runners will be starting their mile every 15 minutes throughout the morning and large numbers are expected, so get signed up now HERE!
Event Director, Toby Jenkins said: “Why not get into the spirit of the 1950s – wear your retro shorts and vest to complete the look.”
Whether you’re completely new to running or an Olympic athlete, this is a great day to record your best effort and what better way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of this remarkable and historic feat?
James Martin
Image sourced from: http://tinyurl.com/l46fkfy