The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It
Three runners on three continents chased the four-minute mile in 1954, and the Australian broke the record within weeks of Bannister setting it.
Bannister, the Australian John Landy and the American Wes Santee raced separately toward the four-minute mile in 1954, and Landy broke Bannister record within weeks of it being set. Bascomb follows all three, and the parallel structure is the point: the barrier fell to a moment rather than to a man.
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Tyler Cowen
While the major focus is on Roger Bannister, there is plenty on the other runners of his time as well, most of all the Australian John Landy, who rapidly broke Bannister record after it was achieved. Many smart people do not read enough books about the history of sports.
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