IT WAS AN ATHLETIC MARK THOUGHT TO BE UNACHIEVABLE – UNTIL A DETERMINED YOUNG MAN RAN HEADLONG INTO HISTORY
BANNISTER: EVEREST ON THE TRACK
The New Film About Roger Bannister’s Historic Running of the First Sub-Four-Minute Mile Comes to Digital HD and DVD From Virgil Films in April
New York, NY (March 14, 2016) – One of the most inspiring events in sports history comes to life again in the thrilling new documentary BANNISTER: EVEREST ON THE TRACK. The story of Englishman Roger Bannister’s determination to run the mile in under four minutes arrives on Digital HD and DVD from Virgil Films on April 12, 2016.
History buffs as well as runners of all ages will be enrapt by BANNISTER: EVEREST ON THE TRACK, but the film is more than just a sports story. It is a study of Britain’s psychological, if not almost physical, need for something – anything – to erase the woes and hardship of World War II. The quest for the first sub-four-minute mile, a barrier long deemed impossible to break, became a national and worldwide obsession.
After the war, Britain’s sporting tradition was reaching a new zenith, and young med student Roger Bannister was one of its leading lights. He had set records in races of various lengths, but after finishing a disappointing fourth in the key 1,500-meter race at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, he set himself a new goal – to run the mile in under four minutes.
And two years later, on May 6, 1954, in a race at Oxford on a rainy, windy day, Bannister stunned the world by running the mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Since that day, more people have reached the summit of Everest than have matched Bannister’s feat.
Utilizing vintage footage and new interviews with Bannister, his competitors, and others, BANNISTER: EVEREST ON THE TRACK recounts this remarkable story of one man’s personal achievement that lifted a nation.
Dick Patrick of USA Today called the film “wonderful” and “revealing.” Chris Lotsbom of Race Results Weekly called it “a poignant story of determination and will.”
Press Contact:
Stacey Cusack
stacey.cusack@sapkarpr.com
732.674.2824
Daniela Sapkar
daniela.markoska@sapkarpr.com
646.644.4418
# # #
BANNISTER: EVEREST ON THE TRACK
DVD, Digital HD release: April 12, 2016
Running time: 70 minutes
Documentary
Not rated
