Games of the past featured world-record runs wir Kearne THE SPECTATOR SIR ROGER Bannister and John Landy, the English and ‘Australian principles in what — 40 years on — Singers as the world’s best known mid- dle distance feot race, will be in Victoria next week to ‘attend the XV Commonwealth Games. They are both in their 60s now and, out of deference to their age, they mest definitely will not jog a . ceremonial fap around the Commonwealth Stadium track at the University of Victoria, Were they to do so, Landy probably would win this one, for several years ago Dr. Bannister was in a car accident and has been unable to do any jogging ever since. The above is merely a convolut- ed means of getting into a generally unknown story about how the author of this here piece almost sabotaged the Aug. 7, 1954, race that became forever known as the Miracle Mile. But for good brakes and quick reaction time by both parties, there wouldn’t have been a Miracle Mile. The first ever edition of Sports Hlustrated wouldn't have he? its lead story. The RAF jet bontber, waiting at Vancouver International Airport to fly to the BBC in London the kinescope (no satellites, no video tape in those days) of the race would have had no reason to take off. And many of the 35,000 at Empire Stadium that day likely would have stayed home. Here's how it almost happened. Your agent was approaching the gates of the Athletes’ Village, a large collection of wartime army huts at UBC known as the Acadia Camp, when around a curve came another car — on the wrong side of the road. Your agent jammed on his brakes; so did the other driver. The cars came to a nose-to-nose stop, a couple of feet from each other. “Hey, you’re not in England, now, Over here we drive on the right hand side of the road,” your agent shouted to the driver; who happened to be three-mile gold medallist Chris Chatsway. He was one of the “rabbits” who paced Bannister to the world’s first sub- four-minute mile the previous May. With a wave and a smile, he backed up, pulled over to the proper side of the road and sped away. His front seat passenger was the young medical student, Bannister. And there went the only opportunity in your agent's life to become the answer to a world-wide trivia ques- tion. Great as the Bannister-Landy race was, there was an ever better one 20 years later in Christchurch, New Zealand, four years after the Commonwealth Games had gone metric and the 1,500 metres had replaced the mile as the crowning event. . The Commonwealth Games have often been branded a second rate track meet because it’s a rarity when, even in just one event, all the world’s best athletes are assembled. That's usually reserved for the Olympics. But in 1974 all but one of the world's best in the 1,500 metres were Commonwealth run- ners. The one was American Jim Ryun, whose world record was Ie 14° & Marine Drive, West Vancouver Team Up Teday! Get your family, friends, co-workers on their marks, ready, set "GO" to the 2nd Annual Lions Gate Hospital 9*1*1 Relay! Form a team of up to 8 relay participants and gather pledges. All pledges go to Lions Gate Hospital's Emergency Department. © Choose Leisure or Competitive Division. © Special categories for Youth, Seniors and Corporate Teams. Early Bird Savings! Early birds get the best registration rates. Sign up your team before August 25th and save $5.00 on your registration fee! Included in your fee is a 1994 Relay shirt featuring North Shore artist, Michael Tickner's work. Beornotmonron BcGasQ)Nanwaiy, KE CANACCORD «uc about to tumble. In the world class fietd were Filbert Bayi of Tanzania, John Walker and Rod Dixon of New Zealand, Kenya's Ben Jipcho, Australia’s Graham Crouch and England’s Brendan Foster. Any one of these guys was capable of winning and breaking Ryun’s record, to boot. History records that Bayi knocked “eths of a second off Ryun’s mark while winning in 3:32.2. Silver medallist Walker and bronze medallist Jipcho also were inside the old record. Dixon, a bronze medallist two years earlier at the Olympics, was 3.5 seconds faster at Christchurch and could only finish fourth. Crouch broke the great Herb Etliatt’s Australian record, but had to settle for fifth. Foster's 3:37.6 broke the United Kingdom record, but all it got him that day was seventh. Without a doubt, the classiest 1,500 metres in the history of the race, All us reporters went to Christchurch in the knowledge that a world record run was possible, but one guy in the press section was there because he absolutely knew it would happen. He wasn't a journalist. He was a- total track and field nut from Germany who made a habit of See Records page 18 VIDEOTAPE YouR GOLF SWING! © Felvate staila where you can video and analyze your swing fron: two angies at ence. ° Compare your swing to the tour proz. : 2 Use practice aids to improve your swing. | ° Take your video home for reference, 3 At $25.60 per 1/2 hour session iT PAYS TO... "BE YOUR OWN 4450 Juneau St., Bby. Fun & Prizes! Cay NG RETR TIT OLF PROWw =| 298-2466 | This is not a race - it's a super FUNdraiser! Joiti us for live entertainment, great food, and the chance to win super prizes! ® Grand Prize: a fabulous 4 night Baja Mexico Cruise for 2 including airfare. ® ‘Top Fundraiser Prize: An airline ticket to a destination. Register Now! Re Caribbean, European or North American Pick up a Lions Gate Hospital 9°1¢1 Relay registration form at: «HE WALK . STROLL - Joa ° ass COMMUNI 7, FUN event °o INCRAWEST ® Lions Gate Hospital Foundation Office, 231 East 15th Street, North Vancouver. ® North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue. ® Any North Shore Bank of Montreal. ® Any North Shore Cruise Holidays. ¥ lavesiment DManageroras Lad, Special Thanks to: District of West Vancouver © City of North Vancouver * District of North Vancouver Sunday Sept. 25, 1994 © Ambleside Park ¢ West Vancouver For gee