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March 19, 2012

The Far Side

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor



Englishman Roger Bannister was the first man to break the four minute mile. For years it had been said by coaches, runners and sportswriters that is was impossible. No man can run that fast. It had been tried many times and was no longer considered a valid goal. Nine years since the last record for a mile was set at 4 minutes 1.4 seconds, it was thought if no one had broken it in nine years it would not be done.

Roger Bannister did the impossible on May 6, 1954. His triumph inspired others and in the next fifteen years over 300 runners ran a mile in less than 4 minutes. Roger had opened the door.

Roger Banister went on to become a distinguished neurologist earning an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath. He became Sir Roger Bannister when knighted in 1975. In 2004 on the 50th Anniversary of his 4 minute mile, a British 50 Pence coin was minted in honor of the event. His record was noted by the British people as 13th in the top 100 World’s Greatest Sporting Events. One race, one record brought Sir Roger all the fame and glory for a life time. The win made the difference but the many unknown number of prior attempts and failures were the secret to his success.
 
The late Thomas J. Watson, Chairman of IBM said, "Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You're thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all... You can be discouraged by failure - or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because, remember that's where you'll find success, on the far side." I am looking forward to seeing you on the far side.

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