The Quest to Break the Four Minute Mile

3:59.4

The biography of the world's most famous sporting achievement, in which Roger Bannister (1929-2018) triumphed in 1954 by running the Four Minute Mile. Perfect for fans of Chariots of Fire.

Bryant sets Bannister's crowning glory in a lovingly evoked context

A fascinating insight into the runners of the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Brilliant ... a tour de force of elegant sports writing

Bryant's fine book is an absorbing read and a tribute to an era long-since passed

It conveys well the momentousness of the achievement- It captures the power of the amateur spirit

As a life-long athlete, Oxford Blue, country champion, British Universities student national, and coach to an Olympic athlete, John Bryant has an unrivalled insight into the world of athletics and the minds and methods of runners. Since 1971, John Bryant has worked as a Fleet Street journalist where he was Deputy Editor of The Times. He is currently Consultant Editor of the Daily Mail and lives in Kingston-on-Thames.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event nine, the one mile: first, #41, Roger Bannister ... with a time which will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire and World Record. The time was three..." 
 
As the announcer spoke those fateful words, the crowd roared, and the century-long quest to run 'the world's greatest race' was finally at an end. 
 
For decades, amateur athletes like the American Lon Myers, a stick-thin hypochondriac who was sick before and after every race, yet still held every US record from 50 yards to the mile, and Joe Binks, an English journalist who only trained once per week, dominated the field. Paavo Nurmi, the 'Phantom Finn', won nine Olympic gold medals and set so many world records that statisticians still argue over the total, but even he couldn't breach the magic four-minute mark. 
 
As competition intensified, the Swede Gunder 'the Wonder' Haegg ran the mile in 4:01.4 - but it took the legendary Roger Bannister and his two co-runners to finally accomplish 'the most significant sporting achievement of the twentieth century'. It took a wholesale reimagining of running itself, as each generation built on the discoveries and secrets of the last, until the fateful day finally arrived, and an impossible dream became reality: 
 
6 May 1954. Roger Bannister. 3:59.4.

John Bryant

The best of many books on the subject I have ever read

Hugely readable and occasionally hilarious ... Bryant is also very good at capturing the essential motivations of the marathon runner ... My guess is that this book will inspire countless others to seek out that marathon entry form themselves

Every marathon runner is touched by a peculiar madness, and Bryant's empathy with their affliction comes from the heart

'If you want to win something, run 100 metres. If you want to experience something, run a marathon' - Emil Zatopek 
 
The London Marathon salutes 25 years of the London Marathon by exploring the incredible physical and mental challenge that lies at the very heart of marathon running. It begins with the author standing on the start line at Blackheath for the very first London Marathon in March 1981. And it ends 26 miles and 25 years later, as the author emerges, still running, past Buckingham Palace and on through the miles and memories to the finish. 
 
From the legend of Pheidippides and the mystery of Spiridon Louis - who won the first modern Olympic marathon in 1896 - to the agony of Paula Radcliffe, reduced to tears on the long road to Athens more than a century later, this is a story of dreams, pain, struggle and achievement. The courage and the craziness of the characters who for 25 years have run the streets of London, have turned this race into the greatest marathon in the world. 
 
The London Marathon is a testament to their endeavour, and to the spirit that leads them each spring to tackle their own suburban Everest. This is their story.

John Bryant

Praise for The London Marathon

The best of many books on the subject I have ever read

Hugely readable and occasionally hilarious ... Bryant is also very good at capturing the essential motivations of the marathon runner ... My guess is that this book will inspire countless others to seek out that mar ...

Every marathon runner is touched by a peculiar madness, and Bryant's empathy with their affliction comes from the heart

The best of many books on the subject I have ever read

Hugely readable and occasionally hilarious ... Bryant is also very good at capturing the essential motivations of the marathon runner ... My guess is that this book will inspire countless others to seek out that mar ...

Every marathon runner is touched by a peculiar madness, and Bryant's empathy with their affliction comes from the heart

The best of many books on the subject I have ever read

Hugely readable and occasionally hilarious ... Bryant is also very good at capturing the essential motivations of the marathon runner ... My guess is that this book will inspire countless others to seek out that mar ...

Every marathon runner is touched by a peculiar madness, and Bryant's empathy with their affliction comes from the heart

Books by John Bryant

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