"The Perfect Mile," by Neal Bascomb. Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 2004.

In the past 50 years, more than 1,000 men have run a mile in less than four minutes. The current record is 3:43.13. So why was it such a big deal when Roger Bannister broke four minutes for the first time May 6, 1954?

In "The Perfect Mile," Neal Bascomb captures the times and reasons with verve and intrigue. Although we know most of the outcomes (there are more than one here), the book is a page-turner: How will everything turn out?

The quest for the four-minute mile captured world attention. Many people felt running so fast would be physiologically and psychologically impossible. Several "experts" calculated that 4:02 was the fastest any human could run the distance. Others debated who would be the first, among three men, to smash the barrier.

At center stage of "The Perfect Mile" are those three men: American Wes Santee, Australian John Landy, and Bannister from Britain. Each was driven to be the first to break four minutes, then to win a three-way race between them.. (The latter never came about, thanks to - What else? - politics.)

Bascomb masterfully tells a great story, hopping from Santee to Landy to Bannister. It's as if we are there, 50 years ago, as we read about their training, coaches and time trials. We are privy to more, including the controversy over the use of "rabbits," the pressures facing each man (including to stand up for "national pride") and personal intrigues. It's all compelling.

Santee is, in part, driven by an abusive childhood and work ethic developed on a Kansas farm. At the University of Kansas, he trains on a homemade track underneath the college stadium, 12 laps to the mile. It's easy to sympathize as we watch him sacrifice his mile efforts, time and again, for his UK team, then battle the idiocy of U.S. amateur running officials and martinets.

In another part of the world, Landy becomes obsessed after his "failure" in the 1952 Olympics. After talking with and studying the great Emil Zatopek, he abandons his eccentric coach, Percy Cerutty, changes his running style and training methods. Like Zatopek, Landy runs mega-mileage with great intensity. He, too, tugs at our sympathies, running on lousy tracks, training in the wee hours of the morning.

Bannister, perhaps, feels the most pressure - from his countrymen, a fickle-but-unrelenting press, and within. It's as if he, in tandem with Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of Mt. Everest in the same year, is expected to save the flagging British Empire.

Past failures, too, drive Bannister. At first, without a coach, he trains alone: a solitary figure trying to balance running, medical studies and an internship. He devotes himself to high-quality workouts, with little time for warm-ups and easy running. Running is just one part of the noble life for him. That, for a short time at least, would change.

There's much in this book for everyone. The different styles of training, controversy over pacing, and races themselves will appeal to runners. All readers will be caught up in the intrigue and suspense of the individual efforts - a tribute to Bascomb's writing, since we know the outcomes.

Along the way, there are interesting sidelights. We learn how mile times progressed from the late 19th Century, and even pick up some trivia; for instance, friends of Bannister, who published a track journal, later established the Guinness Book of World Records.

"The Perfect Mile" isn't just about the first four-minute mile. Bannister breaks that barrier two-thirds into the story, but Bascomb's hold on us doesn't loosen. We are captives to the very last word.

Ron Marinucci can be reached at RMarin6424@aol.com. MR