ARA mini-documentary to debut: "Bannister breaks the barrier".

Fifty four years ago, Roger Bannister broke an athletics mark that many athletes, sports enthusiasts and members of the media thought was unthinkable: Breaking the four minute mile barrier. Today that seems a preposterous statement. Breaking four minutes in the mile simply distinguishes you as an excellent mid distance runner. Its accomplishment is given scant notice. Yet before May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister's achievement was considered unachievable.

The American Running Association (ARA) in assistance from several individuals from Nike has completed a short documentary on the May 6, 1954 achievement. Sir Roger Bannister provided a unique interview in his home in Oxford, England. ARA's Dave Watt and Geoff Hollister, a retired Nike pioneer and ARA Board Member ventured to the site of the historic sub-4 minute mile to film an interview with Bannister. The footage from the interview was merged with the actual original BBC footage from the May 6, 1954 race on the Iffley Road track in Oxford. Bannister's comments 50 years later offer a unique perspective by the very man who broke this seemingly impenetrable barrier.

ARA will market the DVDs to high school and college track teams, running clubs and individuals who aspire to be a better runner or athlete. The sales will assist ARA's efforts to provide more training programs and events and programs for anyone who wants to start running or return to the sport of running or track and field. The DVD is approximately 23 minutes in length.

We hope to place a trailer of the mini-documentary on our American Running website. Links to purchase the DVD will be added as well.

Sir Roger Bannister showed the way to break through barriers in sport. His words and video images can inspire runners, students and athletes to seek higher goals and achievements. Not just in athletics but in life.

Contact Dave Watt via email or phone to buy one or more copies of the DVD, BANNISTER BREAKS THE BARRIER. DVDs cost $19 plus $6 shipping (one copy). Suggested retail price is $19. ARA members may order them now. Send a check to ARA for $25 (covers shipping) and include the address for shipping the DVD. We plan on offering the DVD sales directly from our website in the near future.

Seen and heard on the trails ...

Neon is making a comeback: Check with the teens in your house or neighborhood. Bright neon colors are making their way back into the hip clothing and running attire. Look for some wild colors to emerge in 2009. We test marketed some NEON tees this fall and both girl and boy cross country runners snatched them up ...

High School girls injured: Saw too many injuries among high school girls this fall in cross country. Why? There is not one single factor for girls running injuries. What is true is the quality of girls running distance now has jumped in the past 10 years. Girls training has started to reach the level only previously seen with boys. When athletes train harder, more injuries will occur. What you will see is more attention to nutrition in girls and more attention to weight. Girls go through significant body changes in the high school years and these changes affect performance. Too often we see young girls fighting the inevitable weight gain with puberty. The result can be seen in stress fractures, anemia and fatigue. More on this subject in the next issue.

The Fastest boy distance runner in the U.S.: This Saturday's Footlocker National Championships in San Diego will crown a boy's and girls' individual champion. All fall in the DC METRO Region (MD, VA and DC); I had the opportunity to see one of the fastest boys to run cross country. Solomon Haile emigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia one year ago. He immediately burst onto the distance running scene with his very first indoor 3200m race. Haile also stirred up issues of his age, as the birth records and calendar are quite different in Ethiopia than the U.S. Nonetheless, Solomon Haile won every race he entered and set course records every time he raced.

Enjoy the run and stay warm this winter!