OT: Apparel Thread: $411,249.47 track shoes
You're looking at the running shoes Roger Bannister wore on May 6, 1954 at Iffly Road Track, Oxford, England. That day he ran one mile in 3:59.4, becoming the first known person to break the four minute barrier.
The shoes sold for about eight times their estimated value, and Bannister is planning on giving some of the proceeds to a neurological charity he co-founded (he became a fairly prominent neurologist in his post-track life).
Mostly I thought this was a very cool example in just how far technology has come. Bannister bought the lightest weight leather shoes he could find and personally whittled the spikes down as well. Nike/Adidas/Jumpman/whatever, we're certainly not in the 1950's any more.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11857099/Sir-Roger-Bannis…
September 11th, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^
Probably because school started for him.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
Whoever schedules classes on Friday is doing it wrong.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
Back in my day, there were some 3 credit hour courses that were only on a M-W-F schedule, so you were screwed if that was a course you needed to have.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
Was when they put a lab on Fridays. Stupid 3 hour labs worth only 1 credit should be illegal, especially when they only give whole grades. <mumbles something about a B+ being a B>
September 11th, 2015 at 2:58 PM ^
I went through 4 years and never had a semester where I didn't have at least a couple classes on Friday. There was basically no way to avoid it and take a full load back then.
September 11th, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^
I actually had the same problem too - full load made it nearly impossible to avoid not having at least one class on Friday, although I actually didn't mind so much, particularly if it was something I could just get out of the way and have the rest of the day. It was when a section was at, say, 2 PM or something that I would get a little steamed.
I found it easier to make Mondays and Wednesday "off" days if you could arrange classes accordingly. I had Wednesday "off" a couple times as an undergrad and I liked the split week.
September 11th, 2015 at 4:51 PM ^
I don't think I ever had an "off" day while in college at Michigan. I guess that is what I get for being Electrical Engineering.
September 11th, 2015 at 3:04 PM ^
I declined to enroll in a few law school classes because they followed that schedule.
Internal thought process:
"Hmmm....one class has M-W-F at 9 am and a slightly less useful class has T, Th at 3 pm. My brain isn't working at 9 am anyway, so might as well go with the second."
September 11th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
unavoidable at michigan....usually 9am as well.
September 11th, 2015 at 3:50 PM ^
Try going to a small, private college where the only classes with multiple offerings are the "core" classes you take the first two years. After that, only one offering.
September 12th, 2015 at 12:37 AM ^
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September 11th, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^
Bannister didn't wear white socks.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^
I'm not sure I would spend that much on track shoes. Maybe if they had the jumpman logo
September 11th, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 2:31 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^
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September 11th, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
"Nike/Adidas/Jumpman/whatever, we're certainly not in the 1950's any more."
Accurate observation, sir. We certainly are not.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^
I just figure people expect the most nuanced and up to date info.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^
Just looking at those things.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:47 PM ^
There is a movement to get back to more "barefoot' style or "minimal" running, which was actually what those types of shoes represent, before some dude stuck some rubber in a waffle maker and added a bunch of foam to the midsole. Bannister's shoes have a very thin, flexible sole, not unlike modern racing flats/distance track cleats. In fact, I used to wear spikeless, uncushioned racing flats when I ran cross country in high school.
Now, I wear Merrell Trail Gloves and have a difficult time running comfortably in your typical heavily-cushioned running shoe.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:49 PM ^
when I'm being chased by something or someone.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:44 PM ^
his first sub-4 mile was 3:59.4 and not 3:57.9?
September 11th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
Corrected.
September 11th, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^
Here's the video. It appears they weren't interested in bleachers back then, nor were they concerned with giving the runners room at the end of the race to slow down.
September 11th, 2015 at 4:51 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
I never pay more than $300k on running shoes.
September 11th, 2015 at 5:24 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 2:47 PM ^
Looks like a heel striker.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:53 PM ^
The .47 cents really put that bid over the top. Who's the asshole that goes, "Yeah, I'll raise it .47 cents!" SOLD!
September 11th, 2015 at 2:56 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
The headline of the Telegraph article says £266,500 and I used Google's currency converter a couple minutes before posting.
September 11th, 2015 at 2:53 PM ^
I remember reading about him when I was a kid in a 100 Greatest Sports Heroes of All Time book. The one-page article quoted a coach or commentator stating, just before he broke the record, that Bannister could "never break the four minute mark because he runs like he has a knife in his back".
I don't know for sure what that looks like, but I bet it looks fast! Great to read that he's still alive and, by all accounts, doing well.
September 11th, 2015 at 3:54 PM ^
See video above - pretty erect running stance.
September 11th, 2015 at 4:23 PM ^
I can confirm that is the stance of a person with a knife in their back.
September 11th, 2015 at 3:23 PM ^
we should buy all WD's adidas crap er apparel and hold onto it for 60 years and it will be worth a fortune.
September 11th, 2015 at 4:25 PM ^
It is pretty amazing to think that 4:00 is commonplace now for mile runners at the elite level. Michigan even had a high school kid break it this spring season I believe.
September 11th, 2015 at 8:38 PM ^
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September 11th, 2015 at 10:12 PM ^
Damn, those shoes look painful.
Reminds me of my high school track shoes on a cinder track. Just the sound alone causes pain.
September 11th, 2015 at 4:43 PM ^
September 11th, 2015 at 8:58 PM ^
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