“The Perfect Mile” tells the story of three athletes trying to be the first to break the coveted four minute mile. The story focuses on John Landy, Wes Santee, and of course Roger Bannister. The book chronicles the races and training that eventually lead up to that historical day on May 6, 1954, the day that Roger Bannister ran the mile in 3:59.4. Shortly there afterwards, John Landy broke Bannister’s record and sets up a showdown at the 1954 British Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, B.C. which was billed as “The Mile of the Century.”

The four minute mile was once thought impossible; it was the “Holy Grail” of athletic competition. At the time some people even thought that the human body was incapable of ever breaking such a feat. This is a story of the good old days, of true amateur racing, no professionals, no doping, just racing for the glory.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Bascomb does a superb job of chronicling the events, with interviews and firsthand accounts. The amazing part is how everyone knows the name Roger Bannister, yet few outside of running know John Landy or Wes Santee. All of these men were primed to break four minutes, but often times fell short due to weather, lack of competition, scheduling conflicts, etc. As always, the first one there gets the glory and these other two men missed by literally seconds.

The other fascinating part of the book is how Roger Bannister balanced medical school while training to break the four minute barrier. The book also discusses the training undertook by each of these men and it’s hard to believe the intensity at which they ran. By intensity, I mean they did almost all of their running at interval pace, Bannister pretty much ran on the track every day, for short duration of times, he wasn’t doing long runs, etc. that even a miler would use today.

The book also discusses the AAU and how they sidelined Wes Santee, just as he was getting ready to face Bannister and Landy. Wes had problems with the corrupt AAU Track and Field body and was getting a heavy dose of what Steve Prefontaine would fight for years later. His story is probably the most interesting, because as a college runner, he raced a lot and for his team, thus he had less time to focus on breaking the four minute mile.

The book is more than just about running. It’s a coming of age piece. The British, who just saw Sir Edmund Hillary climb Mt. Everest, are hoping to show the world the power of the British Empire. Australia, a rag tag country back then is hoping to make its mark with a strong showing by John Landy. Americans are hoping Wes Santee can make the claim, to show that they are on their way to becoming a super power.

I give this book 4.5/5 star. A great read, I even gave it to my Mom (Non-Runner) and she really enjoyed the book as well. Thus, I think I can say confidently, runners will love this book and even non-runners will find the story enthralling.