The date was May 6, 1954 when the unthinkable happened. Considered to be beyond the limits of human endurance, three men had challenged themselves and, from three different continents, challenged each other to run a sub-four minute mile. Australian John Landy, American Wes Santee and British medical student Roger Bannister were all chasing the holy grail of track. Scheduled to run at Iffley Road, Oxford, England, Bannister watched as the cloudy weather threatened to ruin his chance at the record. Finally, just as he was determined not to run, the sky cleared and a rainbow shown through prompting his coach and training partners, Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, to decide (via vote) to go ahead with the attempt.
The effort was to work this way: Brasher and Chataway were to run as pace runners to help Bannister, who had the best shot at breaking the time barrier, run at a consistent 1 minute per lap for 3 laps keeping enough in reserve to run a final lap of 59 seconds. When the gun fired start, Brasher moved into the lead and stayed there for two and a half laps. At that point, beyond spent, Chris Brasher gave way to Chris Chataway who moved from the third spot, passing the cruising Bannister, into the first position maintaining the pace speed. Finally, with about 230 yards to go on the bell lap, Bannister moved to the outside, passed his pacing partner and used his finishing kick to cross the line in 3:59:4, immortalizing himself in what Sports Illustrated referred to as the greatest sporting accomplishment of the 20th century.
This post, however, isn’t about Bannister; it’s about Brasher and Chataway and what it means to run the race. Chris Brasher was a steeplechase runner and not really the kind of distance runner that had a legitimate shot at that record. Chris Chataway was a world class distance runner and, if memory serves, eventually ran a sub-four minute mile himself. But on May 6, 1954, both of them lost the race. They did their jobs, but they lost the race. The reason they lost was not because they were less than talented runners, but they could not sustain the rate that Bannister could. The plan was that they would pace Bannister so that he would have his best shot at running below 4:00, but this meant that they would be running at Bannister’s level and not their own. IOW, they were not running their own race, they were running Bannister’s race. He won, but they lost.
The writer of the Hebrews said in 12:1, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Sometimes lost in our concern for endurance is the need to run our own race. Often Christians and even pastors tend to look at other believers and think, “I wish I could have what they have.” Many pastors spend so much time wishing to run the race of another pastor that they neglect the race that God has placed before them to run. I can never run my own race with endurance and run it to finish well if I am consumed with Andy Stanley’s race or Erwin McManus’s race. God has given me a race to run and I cannot be simultaneously focused on “Jesus, the author and finisher” of my faith if I am focused on the runners around me.
Marty,
I rather like what the other two runners did. I guess I take a little different view of your example. The other two runners seemed to have viewed this as a team accomplishment – not just an individual event. They were willing to use their abilities to help someone else achieve the goal. Too often, we only see what is in it for us. Part of being the Body of Christ is seeing the greater goal – not the individual goal.
Blessings,
Jeff
Comment by jeff w. — September 9, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
Jeff-
And the story could be used just as well with your application.
Comment by Marty Duren — September 10, 2007 @ 7:04 am
This brings to my mind the “Serving God” study course of Ken Hemphill. It concerns Spiritual gifts, discovering them, and using them. If we don’t know them, we may chase after what we’d simply like to do, rather than what God has already prepared us to to.
I don’t care what task God has prepared for me .. I want to do that one. Like somebody said, I want what the Lord wants for me .. nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
Comment by Bob Cleveland — September 10, 2007 @ 7:56 am
Marty,
Good post. I admit that I often find myself looking at the careers of ministers and wishing to be at their level. These things regularly distract me from focusing on the life God has set before me. Which is funny because part of my job is assimilation. In our new members class I always challenge everyone to seek their personal spiritual design and play their God-designated role in the church and in the world. Someday I ought to start listening to myself.
Brian
Comment by Profess X — September 10, 2007 @ 8:09 am
i love this story
Comment by mandy — September 10, 2007 @ 8:56 am
I think what we all lose sight of is the amount of work and discipline that goes into running such a race.. for all three of them and any racer. It is no accident that the race word picture is used more than once in scripture. Have we counted the cost and are we willing to lay it all on the track to finish strong?
Comment by Bryan Riley — September 10, 2007 @ 9:06 am
Mandy-
Welcome back.
Riley-
Loved reading your final summary. Are you guys settled back in yet?
RE: discipline. The stories of the training of Bannister, Landy and Santee are as varied as the runners themselves. Suffice it to say that neither of them got up from a diet of potato chips and Pepsi to challenge the 4 minute mile.
Comment by Marty Duren — September 10, 2007 @ 9:21 am
I had trained well and I led for several laps. I knew where the finish line was and yet I became distracted by the crowd, the sidelines, the other runners. I tripped and fell.
I praise Him and His mercy. The consolation is sweet. I will never win the race I lost but I have learned that God has a place for runners with bruised knees.
Comment by Chuck Bryce — September 10, 2007 @ 4:33 pm
Yeh, I’d say we are able to sleep past 4 a.m. and are beginning to breathe again post all the jet planes. We are somewhat in dismay, awe, and disgust at all the stuff we have and don’t need. We’re trying to figure out what to do with what we stored before we left.
If you ever want or need some crazy corporate lawyer turned missionary to come speak, let me know. :) We’ll be in US until January.
Comment by Bryan Riley — September 12, 2007 @ 12:36 pm