The history of the running mile event began in England, when it was used as a distance for gambling races in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The current mile world record holder is the Moroccan Hicham El Guerroyj with a time of 3min 43.13sec. Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands is the women’s world record holder with a time of 4min 12.33sec.
The chase for the sub 4minute mile in the 1950s is the high point of the mile. With Roger Bannister finally breaking the 4min barrier on a cinder running track .Place Oxford date 6th May 1954 in a time of 3min 59.04sec.
Interesting note: – The record for the fastest mile ever run is held by a Craig Wheeler who ran a downhill mile in 1993 in a time of 3min 24sec. Wheelers time is not officially recognized due to the downhill grade of the course.