The Early May Bank Holiday (6 May 2024) was a washout in the south but the gloom was lifted at Iffley Road, Oxford, the venue of Sir Roger Bannister's epochal moment in athletics history when he became the first man to break the four-minute barrier for the mile on this date exactly 70 years ago.

Oxford University Athletics Club and British Milers Club put on a superb event to commemorate the magnificent achievement of the famous alumnus of Merton College, Oxford, both in the City of Dreaming Spires and on the track at Iffley Road.

The day started with a mass participation Community Mile from Oxford High Street, across Magdalen Bridge, and up Iffley Road to the finish, before collecting medals at the Sir Roger Bannister Track. The fastest times were recorded by Oxford University Cross Country Club alumni Jack Millar (4:22) and Holly Woodhead (Serpentine RC, 5:04).

Back at the track – where there was a World Athletics Heritage display with Bannister memorabilia to admire – a series of 25 races were held between 1:40pm and 6:00pm, with mile events for young athletes, visually impaired athletes, para-athletes and the elite.

Uniquely, there were also mile steeplechase races – believed to be a world first – won by Will Battershill (Bristol & West AC, 4:25.81) and Alice Murray-Gourlay (Tanton AC, 5:26.18). Both can claim to be world record holders in the absence of any evidence to the contrary!

As the afternoon passed there was a slight improvement in the weather and as the elite men's mile lined up (pictured above) the rain stopped and the wind abated – just as it had for Bannister's historic run. Ossama Meslek (Leeds City AC, 3:56.15) led three other men under the magic four-minute mark.

The elite women's race a few minutes earlier was won by Khahisa Mhlanga (Herts Phoenix AC, 4:36.09) who dragged three other women under 4:40. Eight women beat five minutes in this race – a time that was better than the world record 70 years ago, until Diane Leather ran 4:59.6 at Birmingham on 29 May 1954 – 23 days after Bannister's breakthrough.

We finish our brief report of this outstanding tribute to Sir Roger Bannister with one of his most famous quotes: "We run, not because we think it's doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves." The four-minute-mile still has a unique aura and Sir Roger Bannister's words are just as pertinent today as ever.

Full event information at the Bannister Miles website here.

Full results at OpenTrack here.

Photos courtesy of Daniel Moses for Bannister Miles Media