Contents
Since 1945, the world record for the mile had stood at 4:01.4, set by the Swede Gunder Hägg. In the years that followed, many runners tried to break the four-minute barrier; none succeeded. Over time, many came to regard the mark as almost unbreakable. Roger Bannister made exactly that mark his objective – a textbook case of the Principle of the Objective.
A defeat as a starting point
Situation
At the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Bannister is considered one of the favorites in the 1,500 meters. He finishes fourth and goes home without a medal. Afterward, he considers quitting and decides against it. He looks for a new objective: to be the first to run the mile in under four minutes.
Link to the principle
Bannister does not replace a missed objective with a vague one such as “get better,” but with an even more precise one. Four minutes is unambiguous; everyone understands the number, and at the end there is a clear yes or no.
An objective that orders everyday life
Situation
Bannister is studying medicine, first in Oxford, then at St Mary’s Hospital in London. He has little time left for training, often only an hour a day. Influenced by the coach Franz Stampfl, he relies above all on hard interval training.
Link to the principle
A clear objective can be broken down into sub-objectives: four laps, each just under a minute. Bannister trains for exactly this pace. The objective determines not only where he wants to go but also what he does on every single training day.
A team for one objective
Situation
On May 6, 1954, Bannister races at a meet between the Amateur Athletic Association and Oxford University on the Iffley Road track. His friends Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway run as pacemakers. A strong wind is blowing. Until shortly before the start, Bannister weighs calling off the record attempt. When the wind dies down, he runs.
Link to the principle
The objective is so clear that others can align themselves with it too. Brasher and Chataway give up their own race so that Bannister can reach his objective. A good objective can be shared.
3:59.4
Situation
Brasher leads for the first two laps, then Chataway takes over. On the last lap, Bannister moves past and runs alone to the finish. Then the time is announced: 3 minutes 59.4 seconds.
Link to the principle
The objective was decisive in a double sense. It decided unambiguously between success and failure, and reaching it was a breakthrough that went far beyond an ordinary record. An objective with that kind of symbolic power releases more strength than a mere improvement of a few tenths of a second.
What happened next
Situation
Just 46 days later, the Australian John Landy runs even faster in Finland. In August 1954, Bannister and Landy meet in Vancouver; Bannister wins, and both stay under four minutes. Since then, a great many runners have broken the mark. Bannister ends his running career soon afterward and becomes a neurologist.
Link to the principle
Once the objective has been reached, it loses its terror for everyone. Bannister then sets himself a new objective in a different field. A reached objective is not a permanent state but the starting point for the next one.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Make your objective so concrete that at the end there is a clear yes or no.
- Break it down into sub-objectives you can practice every day.
- Use a defeat to sharpen your objective, not to water it down.
- Phrase your objective so that others can help you.
- Set yourself a new objective once the old one has been reached.
Summary
After his disappointment at the 1952 Olympic Games, Roger Bannister made the four-minute mile his objective. The objective was clear (under four minutes), decisive (a symbolic breakthrough) and, as it turned out, attainable. It ordered his training, got friends to set the pace for him and, on May 6, 1954, led to a time of 3:59.4. Here the Principle of the Objective can be seen on a small scale: a precise objective concentrates a person’s strength.
Sources
- Roger Bannister: First Four Minutes. London: Putnam 1955.
- Neal Bascomb: The Perfect Mile. Boston: Houghton Mifflin 2004.
