4-minute mile barrier question

Actually, by the time two years had passed, well over 40,000 people had broken the previously "unattainable" mark.

I highly doubt that.

i think landy was the only one who broke it next year, or was it the same year

Tell your boss he's an idiot. I heard the year after Roger Maris hit 61 homeruns, 17 players hit over 60, and within a decade pitchers were routinely popping out 50 plus home run seasons.

Your boss is a nut. That's nowhere near being correct. I suppose the year after Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon, 300 other guys got up there.

I don't know about the actual numbers, but the situation with Bannister and the 4 minute mile was something like that. After he did it, many others believed that they could (and then did). It became fairly "routine" not long afterwards.

i can't find the web site that has info on every sub-4, but the 1,000th person to break 4 minutes happened just a few years ago. so he's full of crap.

within a year, only landy had done it. within two, four more had. so, no, not even close.

337 other people hadn't broken it until over twenty-five years later. i recommend sending a follow-up memo around relating this information. that is sure to motivate everyone and your boss will congratulate you on your initiative.

Read "The Perfect Mile". I don't buy that motivational speaker mumbo-jumbo about nobody believing they could do it until Bannister did it. A whole handfull of guys were quite sure they could do it - it was the press that made a big deal out of the number. Many folks had run somewhat slower times but in much more agonizing ways (Santee ran 4:01 in about every way possible). Training knowledge and meet promoter concern for the mark that led to care taking the cinder tracks and setting up rabbited races led to the breaking of the barrier in droves after the times got down near that point.

the CEO of my company made the same 4 minute mile claim in a speech to my branch a few years ago. i called him out on it and he was not amused. he was even more pissed when i produced evidence that nowhere near 300 people had broken 4 minutes within the first two years....he said that wasn't the point...what mattered is the idea of once a barrier is broken, many can do it.

that stat must appear in some "Being a CEO for Dummies" book. what a load of shit.

its not just your boss, that quote or anecdote is an urban myth that pops up now and then about how this insane amount of guys broke the 4 minute barrier soon after bannister did it. i think it has to be admitted a huge metnal barrier was lifted, sincei think at that time the record was still 4:01 for 9+ years or so.

I took your mom's virginity at the age of 14, and then 207 other guys did the old in and out with her when she was 15. True story.

While it was ignorrant for your CEO to use non-factual examples, maybe you shouldn't have made him look like a dumbass in front of everyone. But it is frustrating that almost no one outside of the running nerd community knows jack about anything running related.

Project Pat wrote:

I took your mom's virginity at the age of 14, and then 207 other guys did the old in and out with her when she was 15. True story.

post of the day

inquiring mind wrote:

My boss sent us a motivational memo about breaking mental barriers. It said that the year after Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier, 37 other runners broke the barrier, and the year after that 300 runners broke it. This sounds ridiculous to me, anyone know if this is at all true?? Thanks.

I did a fast Google search and guess I just was not using the right terms, but here is a list of people recently (back to 1981) who have done it.

There certainly were not 37 people who did in in the 1954.

It is interesting in looking at the all time lists for say the 100m where it goes back to Hasley Crawford for instance. Why does the mile list not go back farther?

This article is a good read, but not conclusive as it does not list, but it gives some info on the progression of the WR.

this is the link you all are looking for; hasn't been updated in a couple of years, of course, but it's the best there is.

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/%7Ersparks/sub4.htm

Thank you!

I remember seeing it at one time.

WHAT AN UNIFORMED ASS THIS GUY WAS!

It took 2 full years to even get to 6!

6 May 54 Roger Bannister UK 3:59.4 m

21 Jun 54 John Landy Aus 3:57.9 m

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28 May 55 László Tábori Hun 3:59.0 m

28 May 55 Chris Chataway UK 3:59.8 m

28 May 55 Brian Hewson UK 3:59.8 m

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5 May 56 Jim Bailey Aus 3:58.6 m