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The 4 minute mile

BlackheathenBlackheathen
in General Charlton
Sam Ruthe became the first 15 year old to run a 4 minute mile last night in Auckland.  He was assisted by two pacesetters and finished the race in 3 minutes 58.35 seconds.  He’s also making great progress in the 3,000 and 5,000 metres.  One to watch.

I recall the sensation (at the time) of Roger Bannister’s achievement in 1954, and being captivated by his subsequent battles with John Landry, Australia.  How times have changed.  Sam was the 49th NZ athlete to break 4 minutes.

Comments

  • Addick AddictAddick Addict
    Love the way the pacemaker is looking more elated than the lad. 
  • KiwiValleyKiwiValley
    By some fuzzy calculations i make between 2-3% of all people to have run a sub four to be Kiwis. That's insane. Nothing to do with Polynesian DNA because most kiwi middle distance runners are NZ European. Something in the water i guess. Or perhaps we just have a particular interest in the discipline. NZ has about 0.063% of the world's population.
  • rinarina
    KiwiValley said:
    By some fuzzy calculations i make between 2-3% of all people to have run a sub four to be Kiwis. That's insane. Nothing to do with Polynesian DNA because most kiwi middle distance runners are NZ European. Something in the water i guess. Or perhaps we just have a particular interest in the discipline. NZ has about 0.063% of the world's population.
    I would imagine it's because it's a distance that is pretty much not run outside of the english speaking world. it's dominated by brits, americans, kenyans, aussies and kiwis
  • KiwiValleyKiwiValley
    rina said:
    KiwiValley said:
    By some fuzzy calculations i make between 2-3% of all people to have run a sub four to be Kiwis. That's insane. Nothing to do with Polynesian DNA because most kiwi middle distance runners are NZ European. Something in the water i guess. Or perhaps we just have a particular interest in the discipline. NZ has about 0.063% of the world's population.
    I would imagine it's because it's a distance that is pretty much not run outside of the english speaking world. it's dominated by brits, americans, kenyans, aussies and kiwis
    If the discipline was exclusively ran by people of these five nations  (A Morrocan and Algerian are in the top 10 fastest times ever) then NZ would have 1% of the shared populations but 2-3% of the sub fours. A bit more balanced. But still an unusual skew. Interesting.
  • soapboxsamsoapboxsam
    Stig said:
    Addick Addict said:
    Love the way the pacemaker is looking more elated than the lad. 
    I was looking at the pacemaker thinking, 'There's no way that bloke's 15'!

    For a split second I thought the 30 mile paper rounds in NZ  before school was the reason why he looked older! 
  • DippenhallDippenhall
    As a 6 year old I many times broke the 4 minute record from Priory House to Brandon’s Newsagents and back again buying 1/2 ounce of Golden Virginia for my dad on the way. I ran like stink all the way and my dad’s watch always showed I broke 4 minutes proving I was as fast as Roger Bannister. 

    Would be child abuse today.😁
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  • bobmunrobobmunro
    Who ran the first 4 minute mile?
  • DaveMehmetDaveMehmet
    shirty5 said:
    John Walker was a fantastic runner back in the 70’s
    I saw him compete at Crystal Palace in the early 80's.
  • SoundAsa£SoundAsa£
    bobmunro said:
    Who ran the first 4 minute mile?
    This seems like a trick question…..because everyone knows it was Dr Roger Bannister.
  • bobmunrobobmunro
    SoundAsa£ said:
    bobmunro said:
    Who ran the first 4 minute mile?
    This seems like a trick question…..because everyone knows it was Dr Roger Bannister.
    Not sure everyone knows about Bannister, but most will.

    Not a trick as such if you read the question literally.
  • KiwiValleyKiwiValley
    no 'sub' in the question - the answer is the name of the person who was the first person to record a time of  exactly 4 minutes which Uncle ChatGPT tells me was: Paddy Doyle, a British middle-distance runner. He achieved this time on September 19, 1971 at a meet in London. He sounds Irish rather than British but what do i know.
  • GisappointedGisappointed
    I once did a four minute mile, but the traffic in London is so congested I can't see myself repeating it no matter what car I drive.
  • bobmunrobobmunro
    KiwiValley said:
    no 'sub' in the question - the answer is the name of the person who was the first person to record a time of  exactly 4 minutes which Uncle ChatGPT tells me was: Paddy Doyle, a British middle-distance runner. He achieved this time on September 19, 1971 at a meet in London. He sounds Irish rather than British but what do i know.
    Give that man a cigar - although only a Hamlet as it wasn't Paddy Doyle.

    Derek Ibbotson

    In finishing fourth behind Herb Elliot's 3:55.4 at the White City in 1958 his time was recorded 4:00.0, the first time this time had been recorded for the distance. A Yorkshireman, "Ibbo" as he was affectionately known, was one of the many fine British middle distance runners in the 1950s.

  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted

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