The Perfect Mile

New York Times–Bestselling Author: An "enthralling" account of the three world-class athletes who became the first runners to break the four-minute mile (The New York Times Book Review).
A San Francisco Chronicle and ESPN Best Book of the Year

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—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. 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.


"Bascomb's excellent account captures all of the human drama and competitive excitement of this legendary racing event." —Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant . . . the must-read sports book of the year." —The Boston Globe

"Captivating." —Entertainment Weekly