I was playing rugby and the other games English school children do, and there was an event which was planned in which races were run, and I simply just won these by a considerable margin

No longer conscious of my movement, I discovered a new unity with nature. I had found a new source of power and beauty, a source I never dreamt existed.

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.

I was playing rugby and the other games English school children do, and there was an event which was planned in which races were run, and I simply just won these by a considerable margin

I was involved in music, acting, and some running, but my firm wish was to become a doctor. That was the formative age when I had decided on the pattern of my career.

It's amazing that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have broken the 4-minute mile.

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