Perfect Mile（ISBN=9780618562091）

'Bascomb succeeds in seducing the reader into sympathising with them all and feeling involved in their individual stories' The Spectator 'The Perfect Mile is as inspiring as it is accurate and evocative' Athletics Weekly magazine 'Bascomb lets his wonderful story and its characters do the talking' Sunday Telegraph

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.

Neal Bascomb was born in St Louis, MO and is a graduate of Miami University. He began his writing career for Euromoney magazine in London before returning to the States to work as a book publisher for four years. He helped start the literary agency Carlisle & Company. He is passionate about athletics and hockey.

PROLOGUE
PART1 A REASON TO RUN
PART II  THE BARRIER -
PART III THE PERFECT MILE
EPILOGUE 
Author's Note
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index