Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile when many thought it impossible

On 6 May 1954, at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, clocking 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. The four-minute mile had been treated as a near-mythical limit of human endurance.

Bannister, a 25-year-old medical student who trained around his studies, attacked the record in an Oxford University versus Amateur Athletic Association meet. He was towed through the early laps by pacemakers Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway before breaking clear on the final lap.

“I knew that I had done it before I even heard the time.”

The achievement is often cited as proof that mental barriers can be as real as physical ones: Bannister’s record stood for just 46 days before Australia’s John Landy lowered it, and within a few years sub-four miles had become routine for elite runners.