Chris Thompson, a 2:10 marathoner and 4:01 miler, will probably be firing the proverbial beginning gun at 9am. on Financial institution Vacation Monday Could 5 for the second annual Bannister Group Mile.
First-wave runners will then surge up St Aldates, glide down the Excessive and end on Iffley Highway. To select up their medals, they step all the way down to the well-known observe. This is identical place the place 71 years in the past, Roger Bannister was the primary man to interrupt the seemingly impenetrable barrier of operating a mile in below 4 minutes.
Thompson ran for Britain within the marathon on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Earlier than that he was European silver medallist within the 10,000 metres.
After his beginning duties are over, Chris will probably be operating the mile himself in a household wave together with his four-year-old son Theo.
Thompson stated: “I really feel very honoured to be the official starter of this 12 months’s Bannister Group Mile, and having Theo concerned as nicely will make it further particular. Although my profession took off after I went for the longer distances, a mile is good everybody locally – from children to grandparents – to really feel the fun of operating at any tempo and style the grit of competitors. The centre of Oxford – what a tremendous place to run a highway mile!
Chris Thompson (Getty)
He added: “I’ve very fond recollections of Roger Bannister and at all times admired his encouragement to everybody he met to take up some type of sport, whether or not it’s athletics, badminton or canoeing.”
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The anniversary celebrations proceed within the afternoon with the Bannister Observe Miles. These are all four-lap observe races on the Sir Roger Bannister Observe on the Iffley Highway Sports activities Centre. The races are drawing athletes from throughout Britain and overseas.
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Spectating on the observe is free, there will probably be foods and drinks out there together with different stalls and actions for the afternoon. Observe races begin at 2.30pm and embody junior, senior and para occasions. The day ends at 6pm with elite races for women and men. Numerous sub-four milers are anticipated to return from final 12 months’s males’s occasion, at which 4 athletes ran below 4 minutes, the winner creating a brand new all-time observe file.
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