TODAY marks a hugely important milestone in sporting achievement and it should be rightly celebrated.

Sir Roger Bannister wrote his name into the history books when he became the first man to break the four-minute barrier for the hallowed mile distance at Oxford's Iffley Road track 60 years ago.

As a keen runner myself, I can only dream of clocking three minutes 59.4 seconds as Bannister did on that day in 1954.

His mark may have been bettered by hundreds of athletes and the record since broken 18 times but his iconic run of the four-lap race is still held in the highest esteem, and rightly so.

The previous record had hovered at just above four minutes since 1945 and the sub-four goal had become sport's Everest, with the impact of the extreme test of the human body and spirit not being fully understood. Many thought the barrier was impregnable and if anyone were to miraculously run quicker their body would not be able to withstand the strain.

But the 25-year-old medical student was well placed to understand the challenge that had defied athletes time after time.

He carried out studies in the lab alongside his normal training regime, which is a million miles away from today's hi-tech approach, had light running shoes specially made and enlisted two pacemakers in the shape of Christopher Chataway and Chris Brasher to help him burst through the finish line in record time.

The image of Bannister reaching the tape is a familiar one to me and marks the moment he became a national hero and set in motion the quest of countless more to push the boundaries of physical endurance.

Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj's current world record of three minutes 43.13 seconds from 1999 is more than 16 seconds quicker but the distance seems to have fallen out of fashion and is run all too infrequently, meaning a realistic challenge could be some way off.

A fitting tribute would be for the mile to be raced on a more regularly basis and the new Westminster Mile is going some way to reversing that trend.

However, the anniversary is tinged with some sadness.

The great man revealed last week he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease three years ago, though the 1954 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and former neurologist seems to still be in good spirits, saying there was a "gentle irony to it".

The Iffley Road track is now named after Bannister and a blue plaque commemorates his performance.

My own personal tribute to his achievement will be race over the traditional distance before the year is out and see where the clock stops for me.