Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Audiobook14 hours
The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes. One Goal. And Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It
Written by Neal Bascomb
Narrated by Nelson Runger
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
In the tradition of Seabiscuit, this nostalgic audiobook reaches back to the golden age of sport for an utterly captivating narrative of what may be the most remarkable athletic feat of all time. They said no human could ever run a mile in less than four minutes. In 1952, three amazing athletes begged to differ. This is their extraordinary tale.
Author
Neal Bascomb
NEAL BASCOMB is the national award–winning and New York Times best-selling author of The Winter Fortress, Hunting Eichmann, The Perfect Mile,Higher, The Nazi Hunters, and Red Mutiny, among others. A former international journalist, he is a widely recognized speaker on the subject of war and has appeared in a number of documentaries. He lives in Philadelphia. For more information, visit http://nealbascomb.com or find him on Twitter at @nealbascomb.
More audiobooks from Neal Bascomb
Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi The Escape Artists: A Band of Daredevil Pilots and the Greatest Prison Break of the Great War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Red Mutiny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faster: How a Jewish Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Beat Hitler's Best Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler's Atomic Bomb (Scholastic Focus) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Race of the Century: The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile (Scholastic Focus): The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Perfect Mile
Related audiobooks
Run to Overcome: The Inspiring Story of an American Champion's Long-Distance Quest to Achieve a Big Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Comeback Quotient: A Get-Real Guide to Building Mental Fitness in Sport and Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5MIKE REILLY Finding My Voice: Tales From IRONMAN, the World’s Greatest Endurance Event Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Year of Running Dangerously Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hal Koerner's Field Guide to Ultrarunning: Training for an Ultramarathon, from 50K to 100 Miles and Beyond Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relentless: Secrets of the Sporting Elite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rise of the Ultra Runners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Are an Ironman: How Six Weekend Warriors Chased Their Dream of Finishing the World's Toughest Triathlon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion's 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running Smart: How Science Can Improve Your Endurance and Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running & Being: The Total Experience Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Embrace the Suck: What I Learned at the Box About Hard Work, (Very) Sore Muscles, and Burpees Before Sunrise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Training for the Uphill Athlete: A Manual for Mountain Runners and Ski Mountaineers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat And Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Pshchology of Mind over Muscle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Irondad Life: A Year of Bad Decisions and Questionable Motives-What I Learned on the Quest to Conquer Ironman Lake Placid Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlanagan's Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Icons: My Inspiration. My Motivation. My Obsession. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Jan Ullrich: The Best There Never Was Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/552 Marathons in 52 Weeks: How to Run a Marathon Every Week for a Year Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Forrest: One man's epic run across America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ride the Revolution: The Inside Stories from Women in Cycling Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Limits: The Will to Succeed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elements of Effort: Reflections on the Art and Science of Running Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Sports & Recreation For You
Becky Lynch: The Man: Not Your Average Average Girl Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mental Toughness Training For Young Athletes - Parent's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Takes What It Takes: How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Gym: An Athlete's Guide to Inner Excellence Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Peak: The New Science of Athletic Performance That is Revolutionizing Sports Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lost in the Wild: Danger and Survival in the North Woods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/580/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Leadership, Excellence, and Decision-Making Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Read Nature: An Expert's Guide to Discovering the Outdoors You've Never Noticed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Winners Won't Tell You: Lessons from a Legendary Defender Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Just Tyrus: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related podcast episodes
Lauren Fleshman: my life running in a man's world: The US distance legend discusses her new book, Good for a Girl 100% found this document usefulSally McRae on Cocodona 250 Lessons, Choosing Strong, and Race Strategy 0% found this document usefulTraining Essentials for Ultrarunning 2nd Edition | Koopcast Episode 107 0% found this document usefulChris McDougall talks Born to Run 2: The best-selling author talks about his new book 0% found this document usefulBorn To Run Free (For a Lifetime) with Christopher McDougall + Eric Orton 100% found this document usefulAuthor Candice Millard on the Moments that Define Great Leaders | You Have To Get To The Outside 100% found this document useful
Related articles
The Wisdom of Running a 2,189-Mile Marathon The AtlanticArticle
The Wisdom of Running a 2,189-Mile Marathon
May 13, 2018
8 min readChristopher McDougall TIMEArticle
Christopher McDougall
Oct 25, 2019
4 min readToughen Up Men's Fitness UKArticle
Toughen Up
Jun 26, 2020
7 min readYou’re Not Born To Run (Here’s How To Learn…) Men's Fitness South AfricaArticle
You’re Not Born To Run (Here’s How To Learn…)
Dec 31, 2018
8 min readTraining Essentials for Ultrarunning TRAILArticle
Training Essentials for Ultrarunning
Sep 21, 2018
Jason Koop with Jim Rutberg R362 velopress.com “I’m not trying to scare anyone off from running an ultra, but if you screw up your hydration enough, you could end up in the hospital or even die.” Those are sobering words from author Jason Koop in Cha
6 min readRun Less, Eat More, Go Faster Trail RunArticle
Run Less, Eat More, Go Faster
Oct 30, 2021
4 min readOlympic Marathoner Deena Kastor On The Art Of Positive Running NPRArticle
Olympic Marathoner Deena Kastor On The Art Of Positive Running
Apr 13, 2018
6 min readRoger Bannister, First Man To Run Mile In Under 4 Minutes, Dies At 88 Los Angeles TimesArticle
Roger Bannister, First Man To Run Mile In Under 4 Minutes, Dies At 88
Mar 6, 2018
Roger Bannister, the first man to run the mile in less than four minutes, died Saturday in Oxford, England, his family said in a statement. He was 88. Despite his many other accomplishments, the world has always remembered him for what he did more th
6 min readPursuing Sporting Greatness 220 TriathlonArticle
Pursuing Sporting Greatness
Jul 8, 2021
8 min readCycling Cycling WeeklyArticle
Cycling
Apr 29, 2021
1 min readHappy 40th Birthday UltraRunning UltraRunning MagazineArticle
Happy 40th Birthday UltraRunning
Feb 1, 2021
5 min readFour Decades Of Ultra Running UltraRunning MagazineArticle
Four Decades Of Ultra Running
Feb 1, 2021
20 min readIn It for the Long Haul UltraRunning MagazineArticle
In It for the Long Haul
Feb 1, 2021
11 min readBucklemania UltraRunning MagazineArticle
Bucklemania
Jun 25, 2021
2 min readA Charmed Run New Zealand ListenerArticle
A Charmed Run
Sep 26, 2021
2 min readThe Dipsea Women UltraRunning MagazineArticle
The Dipsea Women
May 1, 2021
If you know your trail running history, you know the Dipsea Race is widely considered the nation’s oldest trail run. Beginning in 1905, the 7.5-mile trek starts in the bucolic town of Mill Valley, CA, located about 15 miles north of San Francisco, an
2 min readCycling 25 August, 1921 Cycling WeeklyArticle
Cycling 25 August, 1921
Dec 16, 2021
1 min readThe Long Game Men's Fitness UKArticle
The Long Game
Mar 27, 2020
4 min readMagic Mike 220 TriathlonArticle
Magic Mike
Sep 5, 2023
8 min readRinging The Changes from Gentlemen Enthusiasts To Full-time Pros Cycling WeeklyArticle
Ringing The Changes from Gentlemen Enthusiasts To Full-time Pros
Apr 18, 2024
7 min readThe Next Big Thing ProcyclingArticle
The Next Big Thing
Jul 9, 2021
12 min readCycling 1 July, 1954 Cycling WeeklyArticle
Cycling 1 July, 1954
Oct 27, 2022
1 min readTony Doyle Remembered Cycling WeeklyArticle
Tony Doyle Remembered
Sep 21, 2023
4 min readAndy Rice Yachts & Yachting magazineArticle
Andy Rice
Jan 29, 2021
3 min readAndy Rice Sailing TodayArticle
Andy Rice
Jan 29, 2021
3 min readCycling and Moting 24 October, 1906 Cycling WeeklyArticle
Cycling and Moting 24 October, 1906
Jan 5, 2023
2 min readAn American Original EquusArticle
An American Original
Aug 21, 2023
5 min readOn Your Marks, Get Set... Walk! History RevealedArticle
On Your Marks, Get Set... Walk!
Apr 16, 2020
5 min readFirst Ladies Horse & HoundArticle
First Ladies
Jan 7, 2021
7 min readOlympionic WANDERS ScoopArticle
Olympionic WANDERS
Jun 8, 2020
2 min read
Reviews for The Perfect Mile
Rating: 4.35 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
20 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good retelling but gets off-puttingly preachy about how amateur athletics are a more pure form of sport.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Great story but frustrating technical glitches with jumps and the loss of whole scenes including the last two minutes of the key Vancouver race!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very well written and narrated. Amateur atheletes of that era were a breed apart! I loved the "author talks" interview between the narrator and the author at the end of the audiobook. The last part of the epilogue and the interview gave a very good modern perspective to the events that happened in the 1950s.