James Espir 1st Sub 4 Mile 14th Sept 1979

I asked James Espir to tell the storey of his first Sub 4 Min Mile on its 30th anniversary 14th Sept 1979.

Dave requested that I recount the story of my first sub 4 min mile, so here goes. I was only 20 (My 21st birthday was 17th Oct 1979 and I did this race on 14th September ), and 1979 had started very well.It was the first year I was training for the 5000m. After a good injury-free winter of very heavy mileage, I ran a solo time trial over 3/4 mile in April in 2mins 55.0sec( timed by my father) in Geneva at Passover. However I contracted Glandular Fever in May which meant that I had to stop all exercise.
In fact the only thing I did that Summer was walk every afternoon with my mother over Stanmore Common.I started training again at the beginning of August and because of my apparent lack of fitness, Harry Wilson suggested I had a crack at the shorter distances for the remainder of the season.On Three weeks training, ran 3.43.59 for the SCAAA 1500m title.. A pb of about 10 seconds. My next race was at Gateshead where on the basis of my Southern title I was invited to race a mile. I tripped on the curb with 150m to go,but things were looking good for a sub 4 clocking.
The following Friday night was the Coca Cola meeting at Crystal Palace. The final international event of the European circuit.
It was billed as a WR attempt by Steve Ovett,and all the greatest milers of the day were in this overcrowded race. When the gun went it was like a sprint. They went off so fast I just could go with them. I ran the first lap almost at the back in 58 ish the leaders(Graham Williamson) went through in about 55 seconds.And so it continued, I just ran as fast as I could but was still trailing near the back, and at 3/4m (3 mins exactly for me) I was about 10th.All around the last lap I was overtaking the best runners in the world as they paid for going with the ridiculous pace. I finished 4th behind Ovett 3:55.5 Cram, and a Dane called Sorrenson. I had cracked it with 3.57.91.....I was so elated I hardly slept that night, and the following day I went back to Geneva to stay with my Grandparents, and have a rest before the pre-Olympic training would start in earnest.
I ran under 4 mins six times during the next 2 yrs and in 1981 ran my pb 3.56.7 front running the Emsley Carr Mile in a windy Cwmbran to get overtaken in the home straight by Geoff Smith.
This convinced me that I didn't have the basic speed(1min 48.8 seconds for 800m) to progress at 1500/mile and I would be best suited to 5000m.( I had run 5 miles on the road in 23 mins 20 seconds)
My athletic career was ruined by injury and the need to have a full time job to support a young family.
(Laura was born 1982 and Robert in 1985) However thanks to Alf I again ran internationally indoors in 1984 after coming 2nd in the AAA 1500m. It was also thanks to Alf I retained my Maccabiah 1500m title on 7 weeks training after knee surgery in 1985. Alf used each week like one month of the year so the first 2 weeks were winter the next 2 spring then 3 weeks of Summer ! This was the last 1500m I raced until I was a veteran.
30 yrs on I can only hobble !
Sent from my BlackBerry® Smartphone supplied by Swisscom

James (now 50yo) has been trying to run Masters over the last few years but has been thwarted by continual knee injury! However, this week he ran for 32m20secs pain free, the start of a new chapter.............?

Photo is James and son Robert (London May 2009)

James is an Old Harrovian - he went to the famous Harrow Public School, so he talks with a very posh accent, that said ,what actually comes out of his mouth can barely be repeated on this polite forum!

He used to turn up for our 9 mile CC runs around Parliament Hill in an Aston Martin Vanquish convertible - simply the best car around at the time.

We'd get caked in mud on our runs and of course James had the sense to come with towells for his seat and a change of clothing before getting back into his dream machine!

Power Of 10 Stats on James say;

It would be wrong to let you have the impression James best over 5000m was a 18m08 run as a Master at Bushy Park ! in fact James ran 5000m in 13m50 to win a Maccabiah Gold in the early 1980's.

Best known performances

Event PB 1977 1980 1981 1982 2004 2005 2007 1500 3:38.2 3:38.2 4:40.37 Mile 3:56.7 3:56.7 3000 7:51.92 8:07.0 7:51.92 5K 18:09 18:09 5M 23:50 23:50 27:47 Mar 2:47:03 2:47:03

UK Rankings

Event AG Year Rank 1500 U23 AT 15 1500 ALL AT 47 Mile ALL AT 54 3000 U20 AT 26 3000 U23 AT 14 3000 ALL AT 74 5K V45 2007 238 5M V45 2004 36 5M ALL 2004 742 Mar V45 2004 28 Mar ALL 2004 370

2007 V45 Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
5K	18:09				2				Bushy Park	Bushy Park Time Trial 5K Event 138	21 Apr 07
2005 V45 Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
1500	4:40.37				9				Birmingham	BMAF Champs	16 Jul 05
2004 V45 Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
5M	27:47				27				London Victoria Park	VICTORIA PARK 5	27 Mar 04
Mar	2:47:03				365				London	London Marathon	18 Apr 04
1982 SEN Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
5M	23:50				1				Hatch End	Hatch End 5	16 Oct 82
1981 SEN Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
Mile	3:56.7				2				Cwmbran	WelshG/Carr	15 Aug 81
1980 U23 Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
1500	3:38.2	a			3				Louvain, BEL	Inv	11 Jul 80
3000	7:51.92				3				Cwmbran	CwmC	26 May 80
1977 U20 Shaftesbury Barnet
Event	Perf				Pos				Venue	Meeting	Date
3000	8:07.0	a			4				Donetsk, UKR	EJ	21 Aug 77