The 4-Minute Mile

Before 1954, most people in the world believed that running a 4-minute mile was impossible.

The best athletes and coaches around the world had been chasing this feat for over 50 years, but no one was able to crack the code until Roger Bannister was able to bust through the four-minute barrier with a time of three minutes, fifty-nine and four-tenths of a second.

Then only 46 days after Bannister ran his 4-minute mile, Australian runner John Landry ran the mile in a time of 3 minutes 58 seconds. Just one year later, 3 more runners run the mile in under 4 minutes - in the same race.

Over the next 100 years, over 1,000 runners have broken the 4-minute mile barrier that was previously thought to be impossible.

All it took was one person having the right mindset. That one person with the right mindset changed his sport, forever.

Bannister’s work ethic and belief in himself unlocked a level of performance in 1,000s of others.

An interesting part of the story is understanding the conditions in which Bannister broke the 4-minute mile barrier. Most experts believed that in order for someone to run a 4-minute mile, they would have to do so in perfect weather - 68 degrees, no wind, a hard, dry, clay track, and in front of a large crowd cheering them on.

Bannister ran his mile on a cold day, on a wet track, at a small meet in Oxford, England, before a crowd of just a few thousand people.

Greatness doesn’t require great conditions, but it does require a great mindset and great belief in yourself.

Go be great. You never know who needs you to be.