Blessed Are the Pacemakers

In 1954, at age 25, Roger Bannister accomplished what millions considered impossible.  To run a mile in under 4:00, experts speculated, would be the equivalent of a physiological suicide mission.  As we know Bannister would break the record, but not without a little help from his friends.

I just finished watching the new ESPN movie, Four Minutes.  What a great story.  Roger against the world, etc...  What stood out clearly to me as I watched, however, were the pacemakers.  Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, two close friends, served as Bannister's windbreakers at Oxford.  Without them running in front of him the effort undoubtedly would have fallen short.  Roger's rival, John Landy, would have beaten him to the punch.  Fortunately the Englishman's carefully planned attempt was successful.  In the post-race interview Bannister credited Brasher and Chataway as major contributors to his accomplishment.

Blessed are the pacemakers!  Perhaps the challenges our friends are facing would prove manageable if, for a lap, we would brave the forces of wind and rain.  And should we be found stewards of God-sized dreams, Bannister's milestone reminds us to be gracious beneficiaries of those who have run before us. 

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed--that exhilarating finish in and with God--he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God."  Heb 12:2  The Message

Comments

[deeapaulitan]

Watching Roger made me think of a quote I had heard, but I had to look it up before I could put it down because I didn't know who said it.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things than to take rank with those spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory or defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

While looking for that one I also found this one!
"The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just." Abraham Lincoln
They sound like they read the Bible!

[James Paul]

I'm sure they did!

Yeah, it was inpiring to watch Bannister perservere after failing to medal in the 1500 meters. (1952 Olympics: Finland). He was scorned by his fellow countrymen for his unconventional training methods afterwords.

Roger definitely experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat! I love the TR quote! I think as I've grown older I've re-calibrated my expectations to shield myself from the likelyhood of pain.