Roger Bannister died
ten days ago, his reputation based on a record he held for all of seven
weeks. Bannister gained a measure of
immortality in May 1954 by being the first human being to run a mile in under
four minutes. Mercury, meet Roger along
with the thirteen men who have run faster since.
Bannister was English,
which strikes me as altogether fitting.
Americans want their record setters to keep going until they can’t;
Bannister walked away from track and field (pardon the pun) at the age of 25,
just months after running his historic mile, for a career in medicine. Imagine if Babe Ruth had done that. “Ruthian” now would probably be synonymous
with “quitter.”
There are times in
life when we can’t be like the Babe or any other professional athlete; raising
a child and/or getting to work on time doesn’t tally up like homeruns and
passing yards. You do your best all the
way to the finish line and then see where your performance ranks. With luck, you get to be your own Roger
Bannister when it’s over.
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