--- product_id: 3951197 title: "The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Ach..." price: "₨472" currency: SCR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.sc/products/3951197-the-perfect-mile-three-athletes-one-goal-and-less-than store_origin: SC region: Seychelles --- # The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Ach... **Price:** ₨472 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Ach... - **How much does it cost?** ₨472 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sc](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/3951197-the-perfect-mile-three-athletes-one-goal-and-less-than) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description In The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb, the New York Times bestselling author of Faster, presenst the riveting, true story of the three world-class athletes who individually became the first runners to break the four-minute mile. 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 — still 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. In the tradition of Seabiscuit and Chariots of Fire, 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. Review: The Pursuit of Human Excellence through Running - I highly recommend "The Perfect Mile" by Neal Bascomb. I found it to be a very inspirational story about 3 heroic individuals and their pursuit to break the 4 minute mile barrier. It is a very well written story about the pursuit of human excellence through running. The book starts by giving us the background of our 3 runners: Wes Santee from the United States, John Landy from Australia and Roger Bannister from England. We also get to meet some interesting characters at this time: 2 very interesting ones are Emil Zatopek and Percy Cerutti. As the narrative unfolds, you will find yourself rooting for each individual to be the one to break the record. Each one works hard towards his goal while keeping that goal in the context of his overall life. Here is a passage from the book about Bannister's approach: "Bannister wanted to capture the four-minute mile to show how one could achieve athletic greatness without the sacrifice of everything else in life." While they each have coaches, they also need to determine what worked best for them individually. John Landy learned a lot from Percy Cerutti but then reached a point where there was no longer anything to be gained (and plenty to be lost) by continuing to follow his advice. Here is a quote from Landy: "I'm taking no more advice from anyone. I simply want to put together the best of what I've seen." As they work through their respective challenges and setbacks, we see them each continue to push to achieve their goal - while being aware that all 3 of them were trying to achieve the same thing on 3 separate continents. The competition brings out the best in each them. Each man shows incredible grit and determination to trying to break the 4 minute barrier. Roger Bannister received some key coaching advice toward the end of the pursuit and it proved to be key. His coach (Franz Stempfl) served as the last piece of the puzzle. Here is a great quote from the book: "Stampfl offered suggestions and guidance. He tried never to push too hard. From the start, he knew that Bannister needed three things if he was to run the four-minute mile: pacemakers to carry him through the first three laps; more strength in his legs; and complete belief in himself." On May 6th, Bannister broke the barrier (3:59.4). He later wrote that ""No words could be invented for such supreme happiness." On June 21st, just 46 days later, John Landy shattered Bannister's record with a time of 3:58. Our third hero, Wes Santee came very close several times but, in my view, was defeated by the only real villain in the book - the AAU. The book then showcases the head-to-head race between Bannister and Landy. The story of the race is well told and after reading it, I recommend watching the video of the race (which is available on the internet). I would like to close this book review with brief quotes from each of the runners: Landy: "Running gave me discipline and self-expression.... It has all the disappointments, frustrations, lack of success and unexpected success, which all reproduce themselves in the bigger play of life." Santee: "Hard work pays off...You have to be just as disciplined to run a business as you do to train for an athletic event." Bannister: "Sport is about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking your chances." For anyone who enjoys reading about the heroic pursuit of human excellence, I highly recommend this book (the book itself is a great achievement as well). Review: Intriguing - The book, as the title suggests, looks at three athletes looking to break the 4 minute mile barrier. All of this was well before my time, and I found all of it quite intriguing. I knew nothing about Bannister and his feats prior to reading this book. The book does a good job of giving you the stories of each runner and the obstacles they faced. The book, although non-fiction, read at a good pace as if it were fiction. Overall, I thought it was a worthwhile read, particularly if you like sports stories ## Features - The Perfect Mile By Bascomb Neal ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #157,109 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #11 in Track & Field Sports #30 in Australia & New Zealand History #35 in Olympic Games | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 998 Reviews | ## Images ![The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Ach... - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Chie3--aL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Pursuit of Human Excellence through Running *by M***S on September 28, 2013* I highly recommend "The Perfect Mile" by Neal Bascomb. I found it to be a very inspirational story about 3 heroic individuals and their pursuit to break the 4 minute mile barrier. It is a very well written story about the pursuit of human excellence through running. The book starts by giving us the background of our 3 runners: Wes Santee from the United States, John Landy from Australia and Roger Bannister from England. We also get to meet some interesting characters at this time: 2 very interesting ones are Emil Zatopek and Percy Cerutti. As the narrative unfolds, you will find yourself rooting for each individual to be the one to break the record. Each one works hard towards his goal while keeping that goal in the context of his overall life. Here is a passage from the book about Bannister's approach: "Bannister wanted to capture the four-minute mile to show how one could achieve athletic greatness without the sacrifice of everything else in life." While they each have coaches, they also need to determine what worked best for them individually. John Landy learned a lot from Percy Cerutti but then reached a point where there was no longer anything to be gained (and plenty to be lost) by continuing to follow his advice. Here is a quote from Landy: "I'm taking no more advice from anyone. I simply want to put together the best of what I've seen." As they work through their respective challenges and setbacks, we see them each continue to push to achieve their goal - while being aware that all 3 of them were trying to achieve the same thing on 3 separate continents. The competition brings out the best in each them. Each man shows incredible grit and determination to trying to break the 4 minute barrier. Roger Bannister received some key coaching advice toward the end of the pursuit and it proved to be key. His coach (Franz Stempfl) served as the last piece of the puzzle. Here is a great quote from the book: "Stampfl offered suggestions and guidance. He tried never to push too hard. From the start, he knew that Bannister needed three things if he was to run the four-minute mile: pacemakers to carry him through the first three laps; more strength in his legs; and complete belief in himself." On May 6th, Bannister broke the barrier (3:59.4). He later wrote that ""No words could be invented for such supreme happiness." On June 21st, just 46 days later, John Landy shattered Bannister's record with a time of 3:58. Our third hero, Wes Santee came very close several times but, in my view, was defeated by the only real villain in the book - the AAU. The book then showcases the head-to-head race between Bannister and Landy. The story of the race is well told and after reading it, I recommend watching the video of the race (which is available on the internet). I would like to close this book review with brief quotes from each of the runners: Landy: "Running gave me discipline and self-expression.... It has all the disappointments, frustrations, lack of success and unexpected success, which all reproduce themselves in the bigger play of life." Santee: "Hard work pays off...You have to be just as disciplined to run a business as you do to train for an athletic event." Bannister: "Sport is about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking your chances." For anyone who enjoys reading about the heroic pursuit of human excellence, I highly recommend this book (the book itself is a great achievement as well). ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Intriguing *by B***R on July 5, 2013* The book, as the title suggests, looks at three athletes looking to break the 4 minute mile barrier. All of this was well before my time, and I found all of it quite intriguing. I knew nothing about Bannister and his feats prior to reading this book. The book does a good job of giving you the stories of each runner and the obstacles they faced. The book, although non-fiction, read at a good pace as if it were fiction. Overall, I thought it was a worthwhile read, particularly if you like sports stories ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read for runners and non-runners alike *by J***5 on May 18, 2016* I am a runner and I love it. (Though that hasn’t always been the case.) So I was naturally interested in this book since it’s all about runners. But there is also historical significance in learning more about this event along with what was going on in the world at the time it took place. I was fascinated by the view of amateur and professional athletics in the 1950’s, and how much athletics have changed since then. This book also introduced me to true heroes and role models of our day, and the writing is superb. The author paints pictures with words of people and events so that they come alive and are so relatable. I was just as nervous and engaged reading about the races in this book as I was while reading the Hunger Games. And when it comes down to it, this book is less about running and more about working hard with what life has given us to make something of ourselves and to contribute to the world in which we live. The 3 main running figures in the book sum it up best: John Landy: “Running gave me discipline and self-expression…It has all the disappointments, frustrations, lack of success, and unexpected success, which all reproduce themselves in the bigger play of life. It teaches you the ability to present under pressure. It teaches you the importance of being enthusiastic, dedicated, focused. All of these are trite statements, but if you actually have to go through these things as a young man, it’s very, very important.” Wes Santee: “Hard work pays off. You have to be just as disciplined to run a business as you do to train for an athletic event. You have to eat right, still have to get up early and work more than others.” Roger Bannister: “Sport is about not being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport is about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking your chances.” All of these factors make this a book that everyone, runner or non-runner, athlete or completely lacking in coordination, should read. View all my reviews at (...) For more discussion material and for some of my favorite quotes and inspirations from the book see (...) ## Frequently Bought Together - The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir (Vintage International), Book Cover May Vary - 26 Marathons: What I Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life from My Marathon Career --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sc/products/3951197-the-perfect-mile-three-athletes-one-goal-and-less-than](https://www.desertcart.sc/products/3951197-the-perfect-mile-three-athletes-one-goal-and-less-than) --- *Product available on Desertcart Seychelles* *Store origin: SC* *Last updated: 2026-10-13*