Yesterday was the anniversary of one of the most momentous achievements in athletic history. It passed without any fanfare, especially in the United States. On May 6, 1954, in Oxford, England, while competing in a college track meet Roger Bannister ran the mile in under four minutes. Sure, it’s been done many times since then, but prior to that day athletes had tried for years and failed. It was widely accepted as a physical impossibility. Either no one told Roger Bannister or he simply didn’t listen.
Walt Disney said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” For me, Roger Bannister sprinting to the finish line is the ultimate image of someone actually proving that impossible is just another word.
