The first woman to run a sub-five minute mile passes away

Diane Leather of Britain became the first woman to break the five-minute barrier in the mile in 1954. She achieved the result only three weeks after Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile. She passed peacefully at the age of 85 last week.

Leather’s accomplishment is even more impressive when considering that the longest event for women in the 1952 Olympics was the 200m, and Leather’s run reportedly wasn’t recognized as a world record at the time, but rather a world best. Earlier in the day, before running her world record time, Leather had already completed an 800m race.

Diane Leather – 1933-2018 pic.twitter.com/B7T5nfiHQP

— Matthew Charles (@mjecharles) September 5, 2018

Leather’s 800m personal best was 2:06, a very strong time even for today, especially considering how far both track surfaces and shoe technology have come. He a personal best in the 400m was 56.3, and in the 1,500m a 4:22.2.

Later in her career, Leather ran 4:45 in the mile, a time that would’ve put her among the top Canadian women in 2018.

RELATED: Track Legend Roger Bannister passes

Leather went on to win the 800m at the European Championships in 1954 and 1958. Outside of running, the former world-record holder was a teacher and social worker. She lived with her husband and four children in Cornwall.