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| This is where an iconic moment in sport actually happened – and it all seems familiar enough from the photos of 1954 to make you feel close to the record-breaking run some said was not even possible. Competing on the Iffley Road track for the Amateur Athletic Association against his old university on a windy day in May 58 years ago, 25-year-old Roger Bannister became the first athlete to complete a mile in less than four minutes - recording a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. An illustrious supporting cast included two very capable pace-makers, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway. The task of announcing the record time fell to Norris McWhirter, known later for his role with the Guinness Book of Records and the BBC 's Record Breakers programme. And Harold Abrahams, the 1924 Olympic champion immortalised by the film Chariots of Fire, was on hand too. The new track, opened by Seb Coe, dates back to 2007 but the backdrop is still there and the sports centre building faithfully honours what happened. Go past reception (photographs on show) and a display cabinet contains the bell, finishing post and one of the stopwatches from the record-breaking run. A blown-up Daily Mail front page on the wall is surprisingly modern in its style of reporting, once you get past the reference to “Britain’s jolly Roger Bannister”. You are free to walk past Sir Roger’s sporting descendants out on to the track. The facility has ample parking, the Sub 4 café is open to the public (8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm weekends) and staff are welcoming towards visitors who want to see where it happened – thankfully without an escort being necessary. But ring in advance to check that access is possible on the day you want to visit and that you will be able to park, if coming by car. ____________________________________________________________ Roger Bannister's legendary run was remembered in May 2012 with a live performance (pictured) staged by the Oxford Playhouse at the Iffley Road track. The 'Plays Out' production transported audiences back to 1954 and invited them to walk a mile in Bannister's footsteps, with memories from local people who were there when the first mile in under four minutes was run. Fifty years to the day later, the race was re-enacted in 2004 with Sir Roger Bannister at trackside to ring in the final lap – using the same bell that was used for his run in 1954. Australian John Landy, who broke Bannister’s world record the next month, watched from the stands at Iffley Road as another Australian, Craig Mottram, won the race in three minutes 56.64 seconds. |
