And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and goods deeds. (Hebrews 10:24, NIV)

You may be surprised to learn that Roger Bannister is still alive. In fact, at 81 years old, he probably has a lot of golf left in him, if he chooses to play. Not that anyone knows Bannister for golf. They know him for his mile.

In the spring of 1954, with three men equally close to breaking the barrier, it was Bannister who ran history’s first mile in less than four minutes. The milestone was almost certainly far more psychological than physical, especially considering that Bannister was one of the more lightly trained athletes ever to achieve a world record of this note.

Though Bannister had held the four-minute mile before his mind for some time, he knew that his window of opportunity was closing, as his main rivals, Wes Santee and John Landy, pushed up against the mark several times in late 1953 and early 1954. So while strong winds on May 6 nearly caused Bannister to jettison his attempt, when the winds died, he reset his mind and went for it. His time: 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.