We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable.

We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves

Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales, where walking was part of the holiday.

To move into the lead means making an act requiring fierceness and confidence. But fear must play some part...no relaxation is possible, and all discretion is thrown into the wind.

May is a very early time in the year and the weather is usually bad. You cannot run a fast mile race if there is a strong wind, because it makes your running uneven.

It had always been a British preoccupation to hold this mile record.

Sport, like all of life, is about taking your chances.