Be Brilliant

Facet 4 Mindset

In the 1940s, the record for running a mile was 4:01 minutes. But it hadn't budged for years. Some doctors and scientists said it was physically impossible to run a mile in less than four minutes. Not just hard, or dangerous, but impossible.

Many tried for years, but still the barrier held firm. Maybe the experts had it right? Perhaps there was a limit to what the human body could achieve.

But one man, Sir Roger Bannister, was about to prove them wrong.

In his teens, Bannister discovered he had a talent for running. He decided to train hard with the aim of getting a university scholarship, which he won, to Oxford University. While there he started getting noticed and was inspired watching the 1948 Olympics. His hard work paid off when he won a spot on the team, competing at the 1952 Olympics.

Everyone expected Bannister to win. But at the very last minute the athletics schedule changed, affecting his preparation and training routine and Bannister came in fourth.

Gutted, Bannister spent the next couple of months reflecting on his performance, questioning his ‘what's next?' He thought, and he thought, and he thought. And in the end, he decided he was going to do all he could to prove himself. He was going to achieve something that hadn't been achieved before: run a mile in less than four minutes.

Bannister stepped up his training. He relentlessly visualised achieving his dream in order to create a sense of certainty in his mind and body.

On 6 May 1954, Bannister ...