The First Four Minutes

Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; Dedication; Introduction to the 50th Anniversary Edition; The First Four Minutes; Introduction; 1. European Games, Berne 1954; 2. Early Days; 3. Oxford -- Initiation; 4. Oxford -- Graduation; 5. Olympic Games, Wembley 1948; 6. First Tour in America, 1949; 7. Hesitation and Transition, 1949-50; 8. Training and Touring, 1950-51; 9. Benjamin Franklin Mile and First British Mile Title, 1951; 10. Preparation for Olympic Games, Helsinki 1952; 11. Olympic Games, Helsinki 1952; 12. So Near and Yet -- 1953; 13. Four-Minute Mile, 1954; 14. Empire Games, Vancouver 1954.;On 6 May 1954 Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, establishing himself as one of the most famous sportsmen in history. Bannister has written a substantial new introduction of this 50th anniversary edition of The First Four Minutes, reflecting on his experiences in 1954, his life ever since then and the evolution of mile running over the last five decades. The First Four Minutes, first published in 1955, covers not only the great race but also those preceding it (including the 1952 Helsinki Olympics) and the ones that followed, where Bannister triumphantly.