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1 Hawthorne Sports and Fitness- Running

This title in other formats:

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It

by Neal Bascomb

The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It Cover

ISBN13: 9780618562091
ISBN10: 0618562095
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be beyond the limits of human foot speed, and in all of sport it was the elusive holy grail. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners each set out to break this barrier. Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur still driven not just by winning but by the nobility of the pursuit. John Landy was the privileged son of a genteel Australian family, who as a boy preferred butterfly collecting to running but who trained relentlessly in an almost spiritual attempt to shape his body to this singular task. Then there was Wes Santee, the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete who believed he was just plain better than everybody else.

Spanning three continents and defying the odds, their collective quest captivated the world and stole headlines from the Korean War, the atomic race, and such legendary figures as Edmund Hillary, Willie Mays, Native Dancer, and Ben Hogan. In the tradition of Seabiscuit and Chariots of Fire, Neal Bascomb delivers a breathtaking story of unlikely heroes and leaves us with a lasting portrait of the twilight years of the golden age of sport.

Synopsis:

Spanning three continents and defying the odds, three runners' collective quest to run the four-minute mile captivates the world and steals headlines from the Korean War, the atomic race, and such legendary figures as Edmund Hillary, Willie Mays, Native Dancer, and Ben Hogan.

About the Author

A St. Louis, MO, native and graduate of Miami University (Oxford, OH), Neal Bascomb has written for Euromoney Magazine in London, and has edited books for St. Martin"s Press. After four years in the book publishing trenches, he returned to journalism and Europe, this time living in France and writing a monthly column for the Paris-based magazine Green Card. In New York, he helped start the literary agency Carlisle &Company, and founded a small press.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Tim Cook, September 23, 2008 (view all comments by Tim Cook)
As a runner, I found this book to be captivating. As a reader, I was enthralled from the beginning even though I knew the outcome. A well written story of an exciting time in sports history.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780618562091
Subtitle:
Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It
Author:
Bascomb, Neal
Author:
ed, Kingfisher
Author:
Bascomb, Neil
Publisher:
Mariner Books
Location:
Boston
Subject:
General
Subject:
History
Subject:
Running & Jogging
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Publication Date:
April 2005
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
322
Dimensions:
8.34x5.56x.83 in. .79 lbs.

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