Peter Radford, The Guardian:
There were no celebrations on May 9 1970 to mark the 200th anniversary of the first four-minute mile, and no tours were organised to visit the gates of Shoreditch Church in London, where James Parrott, a costermonger, completed his measured mile in four minutes.
Radford details numerous examples of 18th-century runners performing in times consistent with today’s athletes. Yet, as is the case with the four-minute mile, our society largely discredits their efforts. An interesting insight into our modern athletic arrogance.
(via: Keith Olbermann)