Dear Editor,
I was sad to learn of Roger Bannister’s death. He was a great runner, a great neurologist, a great man.
I remember when I was at Cambridge going to hear him speak about his famous running of a mile in under 4 minutes. I vividly recall something he said all those years ago.
“Please let me issue a correction. I am the first man recorded as running a mile in under 4 minutes. But I am quite sure that on the high plains of Africa there are many, many men who regularly run a mile in well under 4 minutes!”
The immense success of distance runners from Africa in the years since then tells us that Roger Bannister in his modesty spoke the truth.
Yours faithfully,
Ian McDonald
