The 60th anniversary of the Miracle Mile

One of sports’ more memorable moments, the Miracle Mile, happened 60 years ago on this day, Aug. 7 1954, in Vancouver.

Roger Bannister, the first man to ever run a sub-four-minute mile, defeated John Landy, the second man to accomplish the feat, at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

Earlier that summer, Bannister became the first man to run a sub-four mile only 46 days before Landy also dipped under the barrier, eclipsing Bannister’s world record mark by over a second. The two met in August for the Vancouver Games race, one that had grabbed the world’s attention and been deemed the Miracle Mile. Landy, the world record-holder over the mile and 1,500m distances, would clash with the first man to ever complete the sub-four feat, a barrier once considered impossible.

The race did not disappoint, with Landy setting a fast pace from the gun and leading until the final 100m, when Bannister overtook him to win gold. Landy, while checking his left shoulder to see where Bannister was, didn’t realize until it was too late that his opponent had passed on the right, a moment immortalized in statue outside the Vancouver stadium.

Bannister finished in 3:58.08 and Landy 3:59.06, setting a new standard as the first time two men had ever run under four minutes for the distance in the same race. Another oft forgotten Canadian connection to the race is Rich Ferguson’s 4:04.6 bronze medal, setting a new national record.

Today, the four-minute barrier remains a stepping stone for young middle-distance runners, but records have been drastically lowered by the world greatest athletes. The world record in mile is held by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj at 3:43.13. He also holds the world 1,500m record. The Canadian mile record is held by Kevin Sullivan at 3:50.26.