UKH

An eternal legend:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/43273249

In reply to Clauso:

The passing of another Great British icon

In reply to Clauso:

Surprised nobody else has commented on this.

RIP

In reply to mypyrex:

Didn't he climb a little as well as run ? Not sure where I heard/read that & maybe I'm confusing him with someone else, although as  two of his pacemakers for the first 4 minute mile  (Chris Chataway & Chris Brasher) also climbed  not impossible. 

In reply to Clauso:they famously went hiking in Scotland before the 4 minute mile attempt.

Nice bloke, very unassuming.  A good innings I think. 

 

In reply to wbo:

Googling to try & answer my own question I found an old UKC thread which suggests they climbed the Clachaig Gully

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/rocktalk/roger_bannister_-_climber-84312

(which may also be where I read that he was a climber)

 

In reply to Clauso:

RIP. A fine and distinguished man.  

In reply to wbo:

 

I was trying to think of the fitting athletics equivalent.... "he did his full turn at the front" was all I could come up with.

 

In reply to mypyrex:

I agree.

I well remember aged 10 at the time, the excitement in the country, that it was a British man who beat the 4 minute mile barrier, coming so soon after Sir John Hunt's British expedition triumph on Everest.

It was at a time when Britain seemed to be leading the world in sport, aviation and science - at least we thought so -  the Americans may not have agreed 

In reply to idiotproof (Buxton MC):

He went the distance.

In reply to Trangia:

Indeed and he was one of a generation of (amateur)sportsmen who indulged in their chosen activity for the enjoyment rather than for monetary gain and who went on to to pursue worthwhile careers in other spheres.

In reply to mountainbagger:

Sounds more like a boxer!

How about simply: He had a good run.

In reply to john arran:

He went the extra mile?

 

In reply to FactorXXX & John Arran

Ok, they are both easier to understand 

 

 

In reply to Clauso:

Brought up on war rations, didn't take up running till 17, devised his own training schedule, regarded athletics as something to do in his spare time and ran the first sub 4 minute mile on a cinder track.

A hero from the lost age of the noble amateur.

In reply to mypyrex:

I like that he excelled in running and seemingly in his medical profession too (what he did escapes me). I guess the times people live in can shape what it is that people (can) do, which can shape who people become.

He presumably went into medicine because it was a calling, but it set me thinking about fame and modern times, to hear of him going into medicine after his record. You could say he lived a life of substance.

In reply to Timmd:

Neurologist 

In reply to Timmd:

It is also worth noting that he didn’t get his knighthood for his 3:57.4 or the ‘Miracle Mile’ against Landy, or for his considerable contribution to neurology. It was for his work with the Sports Council, particularly around promoting ‘Sport for All’.

In reply to The New NickB:

He lived a very full life.

In reply to mypyrex:

Well, the 'amateurism' angle can be a bit overplayed. Bannister had quite a professional attitude to the race, having a pair of super-light running shoes specially made and having Brasher and Chataway effectively function as pacemakers, despite the fact that strictly speaking such tactics were against the rules.

He also lived in a time when world beating performances by the 'noble amateur' were still possible, and his background made pursuing that goal possible. Tom Hullat, who came third, was the only participant in that race who wasn't a university student, he wasn't interviewed after the race and went straight back to his job as a miner at Williamthorpe Colliery.

All that said, whatever advantages Bannister may have had from his era and his circumstances, he certainly made the most of them. RIP.