How could Bannister do it? After all, a four-minute mile was considered impossible! Experts said that human bone structure was all wrong. Wind resistance too great. Lung capacity inadequate. Historians chimed in that ever since the time of the ancient Greek Olympics no one had been able to run a sub-four-minute-mile! Not that the ancient Greeks hadn't tried. Folklore has it that the Greeks had lions chase the runners thinking that would make them go faster. (Works for me.) They also tried tiger's milk, not the stuff you get at the health food store, but the real thing!
I wonder how much preparation it took to get Roger Bannister ready for May 6, 1954? How many years of training? How many miles run? How many times did he fear his lungs would burst if he pushed another step? How many pulled muscles? How much sweat? How many tears?
Or do you think that Roger Bannister adopted the John Belushi training method? Remember him? The pudgy comic, late of Saturday night fame. He did a famous skit with "little chocolate donuts." Those chocolate donuts were supposedly the "breakfast of champions." They'd give you that extra sugar high you'd need to zip through your day, to excel, to win. As I recall, when John Belushi did the skit, he also held a cigarette in his hand.
I think we all know that Roger Bannister, or any athlete in serious training who wants to win, can't chow down on chocolate doughnuts or spend his/her days channel surfing while lying on the sofa. The Apostle Paul observes, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.” (1 Corinthians 9:25) A rigorous training program: a regimented schedule in every area of life: eating, sleeping, exercise, even mental pursuits. This is what it takes for an athlete to win!
And this is what it takes for us Christians, too. Drawing his comparison between athletic competition and Christianity, Paul says, “That is why there is nothing aimless about the way I run.” (1 Corinthians 9:26) Just as there was nothing “aimless” about the way Roger Bannister ran. I wonder what if there were stands next to the track where Bannister set his record? If so, were there lots of spectators? What if, while trying to set this world record, Bannister had looked over at the stands and noticed a pretty blonde? So much for the record! In a race where you want to win, you have to focus. You have to concentrate.
“Do you not know that when runners compete in the stadium, they all run, but only one receives the prize?... They do it to receive a perishable victor’s wreath.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) There wasn't any doubt about Roger Bannister's goal when he got on that track, May 6, 1954. He was out to cross that finish line in under 4 minutes! But what did Bannister get for that record-breaking run and for all the training and sweat and tears that led up to that day? His name goes down in the record books and in history. That’s it. He received no monetary prize for that race. His sub-four-minute-mile didn't lead to a lucrative track career. That was unheard of in 1954. Bannister raced a few more times, then retired from the sport. After that, he became a doctor.
To work so hard for just a moment of glory! Yet that's what most athletes do, including the ones that Paul may have witnessed in the Greek games of his day. Olympic or Isthmian champions didn't get big-money purses for winning races. Their careers weren't marked by lucrative contracts with sporting good or running shoe manufacturers. Runners worked so hard to get the modest crown that went to the first-place finisher, and only the first place finisher. And what was that crown? A wreath of laurel, parsley, or wild olive leaves that would be wilted before the day was finished! That's it! So much effort for so little.
And that’s Paul’s point. We expend so much effort on sports, hobbies, work, but what about our faith? Isn’t what we have in Christ far more important? Yes! That’s why Paul urges, “Run like that―to win.” Why? “We do it for an imperishable one (crown).” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25) The crown that Paul writes about is described elsewhere in the New Testament as. . .
a) the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8)
b) the crown of life (James 1:12, Revelation 2:10)
c) the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter 5:4).
That crown is eternal life in heaven! And here’s the best part about this crown. That crown of life has been bought and paid for with the life and death of Jesus Christ, God's Son!
So you and I strive for our goal, and we remain focused on our goal, because we know it's real. It's guaranteed in the blood of Jesus Christ. As Paul said to the Philippians, "I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)
Privileged to Serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke