Life After The Record
In Oxford, England May 6, 1954, 25-year-old medical student Roger Bannister broke the most infamous track and field record: the four-minute mile. He broke it by just 6/10 of one second, but it was enough to make his name go down in history. After his running career was over, he became a renowned neurologist in England. In 1975 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, not for his running achievement, but for his outstanding medical career. He often stated that he considered his work as a neurologist more significant than his running accomplishments, but he did, however, recognize the lasting impact of his breaking the four-minute mile barrier.
Of the many quotes on the Internet attributed to Bannister, I selected a few memorable ones:
“Every morning, a lion wakes up and it knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter if you are the lion or the gazelle. When the sun comes up you better be moving.”
“The man who can drive himself further, once the effort becomes painful, is the man who will win.”
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. Running teaches you to embrace discomfort and overcome obstacles, not only on the track but also in life.”
“The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.”
“There were few instincts more natural than the body in full motion as it races across a field or through the trees.”
“From the beginning, we were all made to run.”
“The true spirit of running lies in the pursuit of greatness within ourselves not in the comparison with others.”
“Running is a battle against oneself fueled by determination and resilience.”
“It is the brain not the heart or lungs that is the crucial organ.”
“Life is short, and pain is inevitable.”
“Running helps you overcome the pain and seize the day.”
“You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there.”
“Over the years, I have given myself one thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back
to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement.”
After a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, Roger Bannister died March 3, 2018, three weeks before turning 89 years old.