Bannister Miles 2025 - Launch Press Release
Bannister Miles Returns in 2025
Legacy Event
The University of Oxford and Oxford University Cross Country Club (OUCCC) are excited to announce that Bannister Miles - celebrating the first four-minute-mile - will become an annual fixture. This follows the success of Bannister Miles 2024, with over 2,000 participants and an Iffley Road track record set by Ossama Meslek (3.56.15),
This decision reflects a commitment from the University and the Club to inspire people of all ages and abilities through sport and is part of a larger multi-year project to grow Bannister Miles, culminating in the 75th anniversary of Bannister’s achievement in 2029.
Both the Bannister Community Mile and Bannister Track Races will return on Monday 5th May with a similar format to last year.
Starting at 9am, waves of runners in the Community Mile will depart from St Aldate’s, progress down Oxford’s High Street before finishing on Iffley Road. Finishers’ medals will be presented at the Sir Roger Bannister Track.
The Community Mile, sponsored this year by local Oxfordshire law firm Blake Morgan, is open to all ages and abilities, with free entry for children under the age of six. Thousands of people from Oxford and beyond are invited to join in celebration of community, sport, and physical activity. With entries limited, participants are encouraged to sign up and secure a place in this event. Tickets are available here.
First Event on Brand New World Athletics Certified Track
In the afternoon, athletes from across the country will compete in a series of track races organised by OUCCC and the British Milers’ Club on the newly resurfaced dark blue track. The races will encompass heats for athletes aged nine and over, as well as para-athletes and high-level amateur runners. Over 80% of participants last year recorded a personal best. Proceedings will conclude with elite men’s and women’s mile races. After the success of last year, and with a fast new track, the British Milers Club record of 3.55.7 is in our sights. The mile steeplechase, which made its global debut in Oxford last year, will also return. Track race entry here.
Spectators are welcome at Iffley Road Track throughout the day. Food and drink vendors and fitness groups will be present. The whole community is invited to attend the track meet free of charge, with walk-ins welcome on the day.
Samuel Waite, Men’s Captain of Oxford University Cross Country Club: “We cannot wait to welcome some of the UK’s top athletes back to Iffley Road. Adding to the excitement, last year’s event saw the Iffley Road track record broken, proving that this historic venue still inspires remarkable performances. With the new track surface and a growing legacy, anticipation is high for another thrilling year of racing, where athletes may once again push the limits of human endurance.”
Thurstan Bannister, Sir Roger’s son: The events are going from strength to strength. The mile distance, whether on the High or round the track is fulfilling for everyone –from the eight-year old trying it out with her mum, to the near-pro aiming to quality for international events. Seeing the Bannister Miles providing these opportunities and expanding year on year makes my heart sing.
Notes to editors:
Further details about the celebrations are available on the Bannister Miles website and social media accounts:
https://bannistermiles.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/bannistermiles2025/
Media contact
Thomas Renshaw. co-director of Bannister Miles and OUCCC Secretary,
Prof. Alexander Betts, University Local and Global Engagement Officer, University of Oxford
alexander.betts@admin.ox.ac.uk
Photos
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sLBEG-m1x7CBZmexFGzH2bJ4Idtoppd6?usp=sharing
About Bannister Miles
Bannister Miles has emerged out of Iffley Festival of Miles, an annual track meeting organised by Oxford University Cross Country Club since 2012. Last year’s event was an event of much increased scale with over 1,500 people competing in the Community Mile in the morning, followed up by hundreds of athletes racing around the Iffley Road track in the afternoon. We welcomed six previous mile world record holders to Oxford, alongside special guests from the world of British athletics.
This year, Steve Cram’s Events of the North is helping to organise the Community Mile, and we hope to attract top quality athletes again to compete in the Bannister Track Miles. All of this is part of a multi-year project to make this event the premier mile racing event in the country, culminating in the 75th anniversary of Bannister’s achievement in 2029.
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the ninth year running, and number three in the QS World Rankings 2025. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.
Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the last five years. The university is a catalyst for prosperity in Oxfordshire and the United Kingdom, contributing £15.7 billion to the UK economy in 2018/19, and supports more than 28,000 full time jobs.
Monday 17th March 2025
Press Release
For immediate release
Bannister Miles Returns in 2025
Legacy Event
The University of Oxford and Oxford University Cross Country Club (OUCCC) are excited to announce that Bannister Miles - celebrating the first four-minute-mile - will become an annual fixture. This follows the success of Bannister Miles 2024, with over 2,000 participants and an Iffley Road track record set by Ossama Meslek (3.56.15),
This decision reflects a commitment from the University and the Club to inspire people of all ages and abilities through sport and is part of a larger multi-year project to grow Bannister Miles, culminating in the 75th anniversary of Bannister’s achievement in 2029.
Both the Bannister Community Mile and Bannister Track Races will return on Monday 5th May with a similar format to last year.
Starting at 9am, waves of runners in the Community Mile will depart from St Aldate’s, progress down Oxford’s High Street before finishing on Iffley Road. Finishers’ medals will be presented at the Sir Roger Bannister Track.
The Community Mile, sponsored this year by local Oxfordshire law firm Blake Morgan, is open to all ages and abilities, with free entry for children under the age of six. Thousands of people from Oxford and beyond are invited to join in celebration of community, sport, and physical activity. With entries limited, participants are encouraged to sign up and secure a place in this event. Tickets are available here.
First Event on Brand New World Athletics Certified Track
In the afternoon, athletes from across the country will compete in a series of track races organised by OUCCC and the British Milers’ Club on the newly resurfaced dark blue track. The races will encompass heats for athletes aged nine and over, as well as para-athletes and high-level amateur runners. Over 80% of participants last year recorded a personal best. Proceedings will conclude with elite men’s and women’s mile races. After the success of last year, and with a fast new track, the British Milers Club record of 3.55.7 is in our sights. The mile steeplechase, which made its global debut in Oxford last year, will also return. Track race entry here.
Spectators are welcome at Iffley Road Track throughout the day. Food and drink vendors and fitness groups will be present. The whole community is invited to attend the track meet free of charge, with walk-ins welcome on the day.
Samuel Waite, Men’s Captain of Oxford University Cross Country Club: “We cannot wait to welcome some of the UK’s top athletes back to Iffley Road. Adding to the excitement, last year’s event saw the Iffley Road track record broken, proving that this historic venue still inspires remarkable performances. With the new track surface and a growing legacy, anticipation is high for another thrilling year of racing, where athletes may once again push the limits of human endurance.”
Thurstan Bannister, Sir Roger’s son: The events are going from strength to strength. The mile distance, whether on the High or round the track is fulfilling for everyone –from the eight-year old trying it out with her mum, to the near-pro aiming to quality for international events. Seeing the Bannister Miles providing these opportunities and expanding year on year makes my heart sing.
Notes to editors:
Further details about the celebrations are available on the Bannister Miles website and social media accounts:
https://bannistermiles.org.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/bannistermiles2025/
Media contact
Thomas Renshaw. co-director of Bannister Miles and OUCCC Secretary,
Prof. Alexander Betts, University Local and Global Engagement Officer, University of Oxford
alexander.betts@admin.ox.ac.uk
Photos
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sLBEG-m1x7CBZmexFGzH2bJ4Idtoppd6?usp=sharing
About Bannister Miles
Bannister Miles has emerged out of Iffley Festival of Miles, an annual track meeting organised by Oxford University Cross Country Club since 2012. Last year’s event was an event of much increased scale with over 1,500 people competing in the Community Mile in the morning, followed up by hundreds of athletes racing around the Iffley Road track in the afternoon. We welcomed six previous mile world record holders to Oxford, alongside special guests from the world of British athletics.
This year, Steve Cram’s Events of the North is helping to organise the Community Mile, and we hope to attract top quality athletes again to compete in the Bannister Track Miles. All of this is part of a multi-year project to make this event the premier mile racing event in the country, culminating in the 75th anniversary of Bannister’s achievement in 2029.
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the ninth year running, and number three in the QS World Rankings 2025. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.
Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the last five years. The university is a catalyst for prosperity in Oxfordshire and the United Kingdom, contributing £15.7 billion to the UK economy in 2018/19, and supports more than 28,000 full time jobs.
