Diane Leather is the first woman to run a mile in less than 5 minutes. Representing the Birchfield Harriers

Birchfield Harriers

Birchfield Harriers is an athletics club, founded in 1877. Its home is at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium, England.Named after the Birchfield district of Birmingham, their previous home , at nearby Perry Barr, was Alexander Sports Ground. It still carries their badge, a running stag, rendered in...

, Leather broke the 5 minute barrier with a time of 4 minutes and 59.6 seconds, during the Midlands Women's AAA Championships at Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

's Alexander Sports Ground on 29 May 1954 - just 23 days after Roger Bannister

Roger Bannister

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CBE is an English former athlete best known for running the first recorded mile in less than 4 minutes...

 became the first ever man to run a sub 4 minute mile. In 1955, Diane broke the mile record by a further 15 seconds, achieving her personal best of 4:45. This mile record remained untouched for a further 7 years until Marise Chamberlain

Marise Chamberlain

Marise Chamberlain is a former New Zealand middle distance runner. She is the only New Zealand woman to win an Olympic medal in track athletics...

ran a 4:41.4 in 1962. It was not until after 1967 that the IAAF started recognising women's world records at this distance.

Leather's trainer was Mrs Nelson Neal.

External links

• "Almost the 5 Minute Mile" Pathe newsreel featuring Leather, 31 May 1954