The first line of Neal Bascomb’s masterpiece, The Perfect Mile, tells us about limits. How most of us fear them, but how some folk can’t see them. “‘How did he know he would not die?’ a Frenchman asked of the first runner to break the four-minute mile.”
Pursuing this feat was considered reckless and dangerous and yet the four-minute mark was broken. In time, Everest was climbed without oxygen. A gymnast hit a perfect 10. And the 100m freestyle at the 2020 Olympics was 35 seconds faster than in 1896.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
