Roger Bannister, famed runner who ran Miracle Mile in Vancouver has passed on

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Sir Roger Bannister, the first runner to break the four-minute mile barrier, died Saturday in Oxford, England at the age of 88.

Bannister first broke the record back in 1954. A few months later he repeated the sub-four-minute performance at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, narrowly beating Australian John Landy. The race, dubbed the Miracle Mile, was an international sensation and considered one of the most memorable moments in Vancouver sports history.

Bannister accomplished a feat many deemed impossible when he ran a mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at Oxford’s Iffley Road track back on May 6, 1954. Bannister’s record time only stood for 46 days before being broken by Australian runner John Landy, but Bannister’s accomplishment forever changed the perception of what was possible in distance running today.

The Moroccan Arabic Hicham El Guerrouj is the current men’s record holder with a  time of 3:43.13.