The Perfect Mile

Three runners on different continents simultaneously pursue the goal of running history’s first sub-four-minute mile. With little scientific research on distance running to guide them, they discover how to run fast and sustain it for four laps of a track through trial and error. While some of their training techniques have been discarded, others have since been validated by scientific research and are widely used today.

The four-minute mile was the sound barrier of running. No one thought it could ever be broken… until an English medical student proved otherwise. Though Roger Bannister’s dash in 1954 was the one to make the history books, The Perfect Mile explores the little-known story behind the effort to break that mark, not only by Bannister, but two equally talented runners, one American, one Australian. The book expertly interweaves the stories of those three runners and their quest for a record few thought they could beat. You might know the outcome, but the backstory is just as fascinating.