Sir Roger Bannister, first to break 4-minute mile barrier dies aged 88

— -- Sir Roger Bannister, the first runner to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile, has died. He was 88.

Bannister's family said in a statement that he died peacefully on Saturday in Oxford, England.

On a windy late afternoon in Oxford on May 6, 1954, Bannister ran four laps on a cinder track in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds to crack the mythical 4-minute mile -- a feat many had thought humanly impossible.

A few months later in 1954, Bannister beat Australian rival John Landy in the "Miracle Mile" or "Mile of the Century" at the Empire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, as both men ran under 4 minutes.

Bannister then gave up running to pursue a long and distinguished medical career.