SECONDS BETTER The time it takes the fastest humans to run a mile keeps dropping. Hicham el Guerrouj set a new record last week, 45 years after Roger Bannister broke the mystical four-minute barrier. How the two speedsters compare:
Runner ROGER BANNISTER, 25, British, 154 lbs.
Record 3 min., 59.4 sec. (1954)
Diet Postwar British; ate roast pork and potatoes before the race
Training Coached himself, ran five half-hour sessions per week
Shoes Approx. 7 oz., with steel spikes
Weather Chilly; strong 15-m.p.h. winds
Surface Hard cinder track, rain-soaked
Added hurdles Bannister was taking exams in the weeks prior to...
