Synopses & Reviews
Sub 4:00: Alan Webb and the Quest for the Fastest MileFor 34 long years, not one American schoolboy had run a sub-4:00mile. Indeed, nearing the turn of the millennium, the mile was dominated by African runners. American fans had long stopped caring about the sport of running.
Then, in January 2001, Reston, Virginia, high schooler Alan Webb gave American track fans a reason to tune in.
At the New Balance Games, he clocked a 3:59.86 mile, running the first U.S. high school sub-4:00 mile since 1967 and the fastest indoor U.S. high school mile ever. Then, just a few months later at the Prefontaine Classic, eh achieved the impossible. He ran a 3:53.46 mile, breaking Jim Ryun's 36-year-old national high school record. The race catapulted Webb to instant fame, earning him the title of "America's Next Great Miler."
After that successful season, Webb graduated from high school and enrolled at the University of Michigan. There, Webb would train under one of the country's most respected coaches and complete his workouts with a host of other sub-4:00 milers. The watch was on for the spring track season--when Webb would again run the mile.
In Sub 4:00, noted track writer Chris Lear begins you the story of Alan Webb's freshman track season. Lear artfully tells the story of a young track star, who, with big shoes to fill, must face the intrusions of frenzied track fans, the scrutiny of an ever-watchful media, the politics of the collegiate track world, and his own aspiration sto become the best miler ever.
Lear takes you on a journey--up close and personal--as Webb struggles with injuries, interpersonal conflicts, and the emotional highs and lows of racing. You will get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view into the life of one of the country's most promising track athletes.
Review
"Webb's pursuit of the 4-minute mile as a high school senior was one of the most compelling stories in recent U.S. track history. Chris Lear's insightful work picks up the tale where many dropped it, following Webb to college and exposing the sub-4:00 as not just a blessing, but a burden as well." --Tim Layden, Senior Writer,
Sports Illustrated"What John Feinstein did for collegiate basketball with A Season on the Brink, Lear does with Sub 4:00. This dramatic story of personal and athletic growth is the literary equivalent of a 4-minute mile."--Sportswriter Mike Sandrock, author of Running with the Legends
"An insightful look into the life of a high school phenom and the resulting pressures at the collegiate level."--Suzy Favor Hamilton, Olympic miler
Review
Webb's pursuit of the 4-minute mile as a high school senior was one of the most compelling stories in recent U.S. track history. Chris Lear's insightful work picks up the tale where many dropped it, following Webb to college and exposing the sub-4:00 as not just a blessing, but a burden as well. Tim Layden, Senior Writer
Review
What John Feinstein did for collegiate basketball with A Season on the Brink, Lear does with Sub 4:00. This dramatic story of personal and athletic growth is the literary equivalent of a 4-minute mile. Sports Illustrated
Review
An insightful look into the life of a high school phenom and the resulting pressures at the collegiate level. Sportswriter Mike Sandrock, author of Running with the Legends
Synopsis
In "Sub-4:00, " Lear gives readers a look into Webb's world as he tries to balance the demands of college, media attention, and injuries, all while keeping focused on the sport he loves. Runners everywhere will find Webb's story an inspiration. 12 photos.
Synopsis
Follow the first collegiate track season of track phenomenon Alan Webb as he battles to live up to expectations--his own as well as those of his fans, his coach, and his teammates. Webb earned the title of "America's Next Great Miler" when, during his senior year at high school, he ran a sub-4:00 mile--the first in 34 long years. He then went on to beat Jim Ryun's 36-year-old high school mile record.
Now, at the University of Michigan, Webb has just one goal--to become the country's best miler ever. Noted track writer Chris Lear takes you on a journey through Webb's first season. As Webb struggles with injuries, the scrutiny of an ever-present media, intrusions from overzealous fans, interpersonal conflicts, and important training decisions, you'll experience his pain, frustration, elation, and disappointment.
Throughout the pages of Sub 4:00, you'll get a sneak peek into the internal world of one of America's most promising track stars as he struggles with one of the most important decisions of his racing career: whether to stay at Michigan or go pro.
Synopsis
For more than three decades, not one American schoolboy had run a sub-4:00 mile. Then, in January 2001, Alan Webb clocked a 3:59.86 mile, the fastest indoor U.S. high school mile ever. Just a few months later, the young track star achieved legendary status: he ran a 3:53.46 mile-a full 2 seconds faster than former record holder Jim Ryun. Everywhere Webb was hailed as "America's Next Great Miler."
In Sub 4:00, noted track writer Chris Lear follows Webb to college at the University of Michigan. As we witness Webb's freshman track season-watching him struggle with injuries, interpersonal conflicts, the politics of the collegiate track world, and his own aspirations to become the best miler ever-we get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view of the life of one of the nation's most promising track athletes with a new chapter describing the latest developments in Webb's fascinating career.
About the Author
Chris Lear knows running from the inside out. His own 4:09 was the fastest schoolboy mile of the 1990s in New Jersey. He graduated from Princeton University, where he was an All-American miler. Author of
Running with the Buffaloes, he lives in Boulder, Colorado.