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© Copyright 1999, Jim Loy
At one time, nobody had ever run the mile in under 4 minutes. There was talk of a barrier, something like the sound barrier for airplanes. Then, on May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister of England ran the first under 4 minute mile (3:59.4). Soon, several runners had broken the supposed 4 minute barrier. Was there a barrier?
Anyone who has tried to achieve, in sports, knows that there is great difficulty in breaking records, whether it is a world record, a school record, or your own personal best. There is great difficulty in achieving goals. You intentionally set goals which are difficult. And your opponents are trying to frustrate your efforts (depending on the sport). In the 1950s, the 4 minute mile was near the limit of human capabilities. But, was it a barrier?
Since that time, statistics (and there are adequate records of track and field events) have shown that, "No, there was no 4 minute barrier." The 4 minute mile was difficult, as any world record was. But, the world record eased up toward 4 minutes, as if there was nothing special about 4 minutes at all. And, once the record was under 4 minutes, the world record continued to ease on further, as if there was nothing special about 4 minutes at all. There was no true barrier.