![]() ![]() In terms of cumulative aerobic volume, in running three or four times a week, Sir Roger averaged less than 30 miles per week in the winter phase of periodisation, regressing to just 15 miles per week during the competition phase of the macro-cycle, which seems staggering by today’s standards.īannister’s affiliation to the so-called ‘Paddington Lunchtime Club’ enabled him to fit training around his considerable commitments as a final year medical student at St Mary’s Hospital in London. Psychology aside, Matt Long digs a little deeper into his training diaries: Aerobic and strength endurance When interviewed about the physiological underpinnings of his achievement, Sir Roger would famously say: “It’s the ability to take more out of yourself than you’ve got”. At long last a mile had been won in three minutes-something. The announcer, Norris McWhirter, milked the moment as the anticipation in the Oxford air was tangible: “The result of event 10, the one mile.” … pause … “Is won by Roger Bannister of Merton and Exeter colleges” … pause … “In a time which subject to ratification is” … pause … “A new track, British, Commonwealth, European and world record” … pause … “Of three…” The rest was lost in the noise and excitement of the crowd, but the important digit was known. ![]() These were the days of pre-electronic timing and stopwatches had to be compared thus ensuring a wait ensued. Once over the line, he had no idea if the attempt had been successful as he collapsed into the arms of his coach for what would be one of the sports’ most iconic and enduring images. Sensing the moment, with 260 yards to go Bannister strode out with the pain etched on his face as he forced himself through the remaining yards down the home straight feeling that the “tape was receding”. The pre-race target was sustained through the half mile at 1:58 before Chris Chataway took up the running and hit the three-quarter mile mark in 3:01. The gun went and as they completed the first lap Bannister recalled feeling “so easy”, as he called “faster, faster” to Chris Brasher who had the good sense to ignore him as they hit the quarter mile at 58 seconds. His charismatic coach Franz Stampfl was an exuberant character who implored him: “If you have a chance and don’t take it because of conditions you may never forgive yourself”.Įventually as he stared up from the changing room at the flag flying from the nearby church tower he felt that the wind was reducing and announced to his pacemakers that the attempt was on. This confluence of events helped to define the culturally momentous impact of Hillary's and Bannister's accomplishments.His travel to Oxford was by train and at this stage he was still in doubt as to whether the attempt should go ahead as weather conditions were decidedly windy and the thought was that conserving energies for more favourable conditions could be the right choice. Everest and the four-minute mile are actually two of a triad of potent texts-the coronation of Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, is the third-that are linked together intertextually through synchronicity, media narratives, and cultural imperatives. In their stories, both individually and in conversation with one another, can be seen the tensions, contradictions, and cultural work that heroic feats accomplish on behalf of nationalistic impulses. In this paper we explore the intertextuality of the public discourses of Hillary and Bannister, focusing on the themes highlighted by the media to give their accomplishments particular cultural meanings within contemporary accounts. ![]() Nearly a year later, Englishman Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile (May 6, 1954). On Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay crested Mount Everest's 29,035 peak, becoming the first men to do so. ![]()
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