Push Beyond Possible
For decades, men and women had been trying to run a mile in under four minutes. Scientists claimed it was “physically impossible.” Experts across disciplines felt it was crazy to even attempt it. But one man did, Roger Bannister.
There was nothing particularly special about Roger. He came from an ordinary family. Unlike someone like Michael Phelps, who experts say has the perfect physique for his sport, Roger did not possess any physical advantages that may have given him an edge in running. He competed in the1952 Olympics, but failed to win any medals. Many thought of him as a disappointment, destined only to be a has-been or worse: a never-was. But for some reason, he became fixated on the four minute mile.
Experts believed that even if it was possible for a human to run a four minute mile, the attempt would have to be made during a dry day of ideally 20 degrees Celsius, with no wind, and on hard packed clay.
The day of the attempt, May 6th, 1954, was the opposite of those conditions. It was cold and rainy, and the ground was wet and slick.
As the pistol went off, Roger and six other men took off from the starting line. Half way through the race, Roger fell back to just before last place. But in the last moments, he overtook the pack, and was the first to cross the finish line.
His time?
⏱️ 3:59.4
He did the impossible. Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile.
But that’s not the best part of the story…
His record was broken just 46 days later.
Think about that. For decades, even centuries before him, no man or woman was able to run a mile in under four minutes. It was deemed impossible.
But after Roger did it, over 500 people have beat the “impossible” four minute mile. All it took was one person to show everyone else that it could be done.
The line that separates what’s possible from what’s not isn’t as solid as it seems.
It’s meant to scare us, but it’s porous and flimsy. You can poke at it and it will give.
There may seem to be an “impossible” barrier standing between you and your goals. Don’t let it stop you.
Push beyond possible.
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