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Sixty years ago Sir Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. It’s one of the most famous records of the 20th Century, one that the passage of time has shrouded in legend. Was the four-minute mile really considered an ‘impossible’ physical barrier? Are motivational speakers like Anthony Robbins right to claim that the year after it was broken, the power of positive thinking helped dozens of runners to break the four-minute barrier? More or Less speaks with Sir Roger Bannister to separate myth from reality and find out exactly what propelled him to his famous feat.

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: James Fletcher

(Image: Roger Bannister hits the tape to run the first four minute mile, Oxford, 6 May 1954. Credit: Press Association)