The Price Of The Holy Grail (The Sub 4 Minute Extra Mile Book 14)
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I run for self-discipline and health reasons, but hate the physical exertion and the sweating. Whether you are a serious runner, a recreational runner, or a non-runner, I think you will find The Perfect Mile to be a great nonfiction read. The book describes the pursuit of the four-minute mile in the mi Disclaimer: The book describes the pursuit of the four-minute mile in the middle of the 20th century by focusing on the three men during that time period that were considered the likely candidates to break a time goal that many thought was beyond the limits of human physical possibility.
The mile was THE sporting obsession of the time, and the fact that these men were from different countries made it a global obsession. The record-breaking only served to set up a showdown at the Empire Games of Throughout, Bascomb does what every good nonfiction writer does: And he absolutely nails the excitement of the breaking of the four-minute barrier and the subsequent race considered by many to be one of the greatest races of all time.
When Bascomb details the failures these men faced along their journeys, we see the little things that caused their failures — from poor weather to bad field conditions to personal mistakes — and yet, the way Bascomb details these things, we see them not as excuses for their failures, but as examples of how thin the line between success and failure really is, and how any one of these men with different luck and timing could have ended up in the annals of sporting history.
Nov 23, Nicole rated it it was amazing. I am a runner and I love it. Though that hasn't always been the case. You can read more about my conversion to running here: So I was naturally interested in this book since it's all about running. But there is also historical significance in learning more about this event along with what was going on in the world at the time it took place. I was fascinated by the view of amateur and professional athletics in the 's, and how much athletics have cha I am a runner and I love it.
I was fascinated by the view of amateur and professional athletics in the 's, and how much athletics have changed since then. This book also introduced me to true heroes and role models of our day, and the writing is superb.
[PDF] The Price Of The Holy Grail Vol 14 In The Sub 4 Minute Extra Mile. It is extremely difficult to leave it before concluding, once you begin to read the book. [PDF] The Price Of The Holy Grail Vol 14 In The Sub 4 Minute Extra Mile The Price Of The Holy Grail Vol 14 In The Sub 4 Minute Extra Mile Series. Book.
The author paints pictures with words of people and events so that they come alive and are so relatable. I was just as nervous and engaged reading about the races in this book as I was while reading the Hunger Games. And when it comes down to it, this book is less about running and more about working hard with what life has given us to make something of ourselves and to contribute to the world in which we live. The 3 main running figures in the book sum it up best: It has all the disappointments, frustrations, lack of success, and unexpected success, which all reproduce themselves in the bigger play of life.
It teaches you the ability to present under pressure. It teaches you the importance of being enthusiastic, dedicated, focused. All of these are trite statements, but if you actually have to go through these things as a young man, it's very, very important. You have to be just as disciplined to run a business as you do to train for an athletic event. You have to eat right, still have to get up early and work more than others. Sport is about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute.
Sport, like all life, is about taking your chances. You might think fourteen hours of narration about a race lasting around four minutes is a bit ridiculous, but this is a fabulous and fascinating account of not just the three athletes who individually strove to run the sub-four-minute mile, but of the history of the sport of racing, the ideal and reality of amateur athletics, the tension between Great Britain and its former colonies in the midth century, and the psychology of people faced with what appears to be an insurmountable barrier.
I You might think fourteen hours of narration about a race lasting around four minutes is a bit ridiculous, but this is a fabulous and fascinating account of not just the three athletes who individually strove to run the sub-four-minute mile, but of the history of the sport of racing, the ideal and reality of amateur athletics, the tension between Great Britain and its former colonies in the midth century, and the psychology of people faced with what appears to be an insurmountable barrier.
I'm a runner, but in no way a miler which, it amuses me, is considered "middle distance" ; still, this history enthralled me, and I recommend it to runners and non-runners alike. I suppose if I weren't a runner I would have given it four stars. Even though I already knew who "won" the race to be first under four minutes although none of the subsequent events - the breaking of that record or the "Mile of the Century" race I loved the structure, which alternates among the contenders as each makes progress toward the goal, with diversions of history, philosophy, and medicine.
The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It
Incidentally, the film of this first sub-4 mile is on Youtube, and I appreciated being able to watch it with an understanding of what was really happening - knowing, for example, that the man leading at the beginning was deliberately pacing his friend, rather than trying to win the race. A link from that video clip led me to a clip of the most recent world record mile, in mentioned in the book's epilogue , which was run in an astonishing 3: Sep 22, David rated it liked it. If you enjoy reading about running then this book is one you are likely to enjoy.
Neal Bascomb recounts the story of three men vying to become the first person to run a sub four minute mile. Anyone familiar with running knows Roger Bannister was the first man to break this mark not much of a spoiler as that's him on the cover setting the record ; even with that being the case this book is still somewhat suspenseful as you follow each man in his attempts to get below the four minute mark.
Being a If you enjoy reading about running then this book is one you are likely to enjoy. Being an American I was pulling for Wes Santee, even though I wasn't familiar with him prior to reading the book and the fact I knew Bannister would get there first. Santee was a college athlete, running track for the University of Kansas, the same school where legendary miler Jim Ryan went to school after becoming the first high school athlete to run a sub four minute mile in My favorite memory of Santee in this book was him running against his fraternity brothers, where he ran against them in like a 10 mile run and they basically did a relay to try and compete with him for the full distance.
The other miler is John Landy, who would go on to race Bannister in what was called "the Dream Race". Amateur collegiate politics prevented Santee from competing against his two rivals which was a loss for anyone who truly appreciates competition. The Dream Race was followed on the radio by million people and, coming on the heels of the four minute mile finally being conquered, the mile was considered one of sport's greatest competitions.
Mar 12, Russell Atkinson rated it liked it. A friend loaned me this book since he knew I was a runner. I've never been a competitive runner, and never on a track team, so I was never in the kind of world depicted in this book. This is, of course, non-fiction, which means you have to either be into biographies, or running, or at least have a healthy curiosity about it for the book to be interesting to you. Despite the specialized target audience, the author managed to bring real drama into the book.
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The lives of the three featured runners A friend loaned me this book since he knew I was a runner. The lives of the three featured runners are brought into detailed relief.
One Englishman, one Aussie, one American, all striving to be the first to break the 4-minute mile. You probably already know which one did unless you're a lot younger than me and not much interested in track. But the book is not just about the first to break that magic barrier. The title refers to that perfect mile race where the three top milers in the world race against each other to see who is really the best.
The training regimens these three follow are absolutely mind-boggling. The hardships they faced are unimaginable - a father who opposes his son's efforts, weather disasters, a badly cut foot, politics among Olympic officials, AAU officials, the sports press, individual coaches and team coaches, amateur status and work and study and military obligations, ad infinitum. You'd think it would be easy enough just to invite the three of them to a race and let them prove who the best man was, but it wasn't that easy.
My biggest complaint is that it was just too long. The story could have been told in half as many pages, but it was well-told. Sep 29, Sam Beasley rated it it was amazing. This book was probablly the best book I have ever read. It was very compelling and just amazing.
It is about three men, Roger Bannister, John Landy, and Wes Santee, who are trying to become the first men to run a mile in under four minutes. The story goes through each of their training and determination. This book was especially interesting to me because I am a runner and it taught me about what it like to have all this glory and how hard you have to work. Towards the end of the book, one runner This book was probablly the best book I have ever read. Towards the end of the book, one runner breaks the barrier on May 6th, Then two of the runners run for a final time to determine who the best miler is in the world.
First, Number Forty-One, R. Aug 16, Nat rated it it was amazing Shelves: I found this quite by chance at the library, as I was looking for new fodder on running and triathlon. I'd probably rate this my favourite book of to date. One review compared the book a bit to Seabiscuit, and it very much had that feel.
As in the '30s horse racing captivated all of America, in the '50s middle-distance running was all the rage in many parts of the world. This is the backdrop for this bo I found this quite by chance at the library, as I was looking for new fodder on running and triathlon. This is the backdrop for this book, which features the trials and triumphs of three very different runners, all striving to run a sub-4 minute mile, to better themselves, and to beat their opponents.
The runners are real human beings who all brought very different things to the table, based on their experiences and their individual perspectives on life and running. I found myself rooting for each one. I'm sure this book spoke to me partly because I am a runner, but don't think it's at all a prerequisite to enjoying it.
It's about far more than running To be read slowly, and savoured. Mar 03, Mike Petty rated it it was amazing Shelves: Instead of focusing solely on Bannister and his juggling of running, medical studies, and a girlfriend who, frankly, I could care less about, it should have included the other two contenders for the auspicious title. This would have given the story that 'race against the clock' feeling and would I believe, more adequately convey the urgency in completing the task.
Though I was recovering from the '07 Boston marathon while I watched this, and was several beers deep to ease the discomfort, I have no recollection of any of the characters mentioning John landy or Wes Santee, the other milers, Nor do I remember Chataway and Brasher who paced Bannister mentioned or featured as much as it seems they should have been. The movie as I remember, played up Bannister's valiant struggle to do the seemingly impossible It has been some time since I saw the film, and surely facts are often changed for the sake of drama.
In any case, the book was great, I recommend it to all runners and simply to people who love a good story. Jul 22, Aleisha Zolman rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Oct 23, Ob-jonny rated it it was amazing.
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The amazing story of the first sub 4-minute mile runners. They accomplished amazing things while still being true amateurs while working or going to school 12 hours a day. They would run in the middle of the night in order to find time to train. It also shows how cruel the amateur associations were to athletes and how they were exploited by being paid nothing while the bureaucrats were getting rich off their races.
Here is the actual video of their final race together: Jun 06, Scott Bodien rated it really liked it. One of the best books about running I have read. Not just a complete overview of Bannister, Santee, and Landy as they struggle to break the infamous 4-minute mile, but the epic race between Landy and Bannister in the Empire Games. Getting through all the details of each failed attempt became a little troublesome for me, but the reward was worth it. Heard a rumor this might be made into a movie, I sure hope it is true.
Jun 10, Eliot rated it it was amazing. I loved the book. It's really interesting to see the different training philosophies and running styles. The narration of the races themselves in this book is surprisingly suspenseful, given that you know in general the results of most of the races. And maybe I'm just a sucker for sports metaphors, but I thought the book was really inspiring.
I would recommend it for anyone. Jun 20, Kent Anderson rated it liked it. I liked how this author weaved the stories of the 3 runners that were chasing the 4: He had some great detail what the runners were doing to train, and what was going on in their lives. It was a good book. Not sure if it motivated me to want to run all that much though Feb 09, Crystal added it.
It was interesting for the first few chapters and then I got bored with it. It does a great job of filling you in on each persons backstories. However, that's what bored me. The loads of back story. This is why I'm too ADD to read books anymore. Aug 31, Jason rated it it was amazing. Phenomenal research performed by the author. This book is well-read, and a fabulous book.
It really makes you want to get out and run. I have listened to this book 3 and a half times and would like to more, but don't have the time. May 22, Phil Enscoe rated it really liked it. Sep 14, Tim rated it did not like it. Listened on tape and found this too slow and drawn out to finish. The narrator chosen was too monotone to keep my interest.
Neal Bascomb is a national award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of a number of books, all non-fiction narratives, all focused on inspiring stories of adventure or achievement. His work has been translated into over 18 languages, featured in several documentaries, and optioned for major film and television projects.
Born in Colorado and raised in St. The answer is this: A few stories up, and in front of a queuing mass of polite and quietly enthusiastic French teens, daredevils, like me, shut themselves into a clear plastic booth. As your heart rate slows somewhat, you may be brave enough to open your eyes to take in a stripy light show playing across the inside of your tube. And then, soon enough, you shoot out of the bottom of the slide, happily intact and exhilarated.
I would recommend it for anyone. 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. He also answered all the reader's questions generated by the story at the place where the question was raised. All of these are trite statements, but if you actually have to go through these things as a young man, it's very, very important. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
The Rocket is the most adrenaline-packed punch at this new eco village, but there are plenty of adventures to be had. A post shared by Villages Nature Paris villagesnatureparis on Sep 7, at 9: From later this month, the pool building will also include a spa, and by the end of November, there will be cottages and apartments in the woods and surrounding the central lake, where boating is available for captains of all ages; the scale is impressive. Among the shops on the promenade is an estate agent; eventually, there will be 1, cottages and apartments, and visitors can invest - not in a timeshare, but in a profit-sharing scheme - if they have a spare , euros.
Two resorts for Villages Nature sits on the doorstep of Disneyland Paris seems even odder. Still, in many ways, this is a logical pairing: Disney had the extra land, and wanted to build a resort to complement its theme park. The eco theme will need tweaking as the site matures. Some practices work well: But more could be done to exploit the nature on-site: Like the UK version, there are chains: Vapiano , the German-owned, Italian-themed restaurant chain serves pizza and a variety of pasta, but the counter-ordering system needs an update; queues on our visit were lengthy enough to mean that different meals, ordered at different counters, came at radically different times.
Still, for the price of a good coffee, you can sit in relative calm while your young children play happily in the dedicated play area. The accommodation, however, is inferior to Britain's Center Parcs villages. The design is about on par - easy-to-clean surfaces, utilitarian kitchens - but many of Villages Nature's best-located family options are apartments, and they are built in a way that sound and cigarette smoke easily travels from neighbouring accommodation. The promenade looks like an American shopping mall. The Aqualagon is built of faux boulders that are plucked straight from Thunder Mountain.
The apartment complexes lining the central lake take inspiration, most eclectically, from the expressionist Hundertwasserhouse in Vienna and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. One thing the design of this park most definitely is not, is Gallic. A post shared by Villages Nature Paris villagesnatureparis on Apr 24, at And yet, just as my husband and I had concluded that we could be anywhere in Europe or North America, for that matter , one night before dinner, things took a decidedly French turn.