Beating John Landy Was My Defining Race.

I Was Always A Great Bundle Of Energy. As A Child, Instead Of Walking, I Would Run. And So Running, Which Is A Pain To A Lot Of People, Was Always A Pleasure To Me Because It Was So Easy.

Whether We Athletes Liked It Or Not, The 4-minute Mile Had Become Rather Like An Everest: A Challenge To The Human Spirit, It Was A Barrier That Seemed To Defy All Attempts To Break It, An Irksome Reminder That Men's Striving Might Be In Vain.

It's A Question Of Spreading The Available Energy, Aerobic And Anaerobic, Evenly Over Four Minutes. If You Run One Part Too Fast, You Pay A Price. If You Run Another Part More Slowly Your Overall Time Is Slower.

Every Time I Ran The Mile I Was Aware Of My Own Weakness, There Was Some Opponent Who Could Give Me A Hell Of A Fight, So I Never Went Into A Race With A Sense Of Invincibility. I Always Had That Feeling Of Fragility And Nerves Which Made Me Run Faster.

I Couldn't Disappoint People. I Did Not Want To Fail And Exhaust Myself, Because I Was The Kind Of Runner Who Trained So Little That I Couldn't Race Again Within Another 10 Days.