The running shoes worn by Sir Roger Bannister CBE when he broke the record for the four-minute mile on May 6, 1954 will be sold at Christie’s, South Kensington, in September. Estimated at £30,000-50,000 they will be sold to benefit charitable causes. They will be sold with an accompanying letter written by Eustace Thomas to Sir Roger prior to the race denoting ‘the lightness’ of the shoes made by GT Law and Son. The shoes come up at the Out of the Ordinary sale on September 10.
Sir Roger Bannister said: “I could see there was an advantage in having the shoe as light as possible. The leather is extremely thin and the spikes are unusually thin, as I used a grindstone to make them even thinner. These shoes are the last tangible link I have with the four-minute mile. All my trophies are now on display at Pembroke College Oxford, where I was Master”.
UPDATE: THEY SOLD FOR £266,500