Then & Now

By Melissa August, Autumn de Leon, Michelle Derrow, Aisha Durham, Daniel S. Levy, Lina Lofaro, Michelle Orecklin, David Spitz, Chris Taylor

SECONDS BETTER The time it takes the fastest humans to run a mile keeps dropping. Hicham el Guerrouj set a new record last week, 45 years after Roger Bannister broke the mystical four-minute barrier. How the two speedsters compare:

Runner ROGER BANNISTER, 25, British, 154 lbs.

Record 3 min., 59.4 sec. (1954)

Diet Postwar British; ate roast pork and potatoes before the race

Training Coached himself, ran five half-hour sessions per week

Shoes Approx. 7 oz., with steel spikes

Weather Chilly; strong 15-m.p.h. winds

Surface Hard cinder track, rain-soaked

Added hurdles Bannister was taking exams in the weeks prior to the race

[Runner] HICHAM EL GUERROUJ, 24, Moroccan, 128 lbs.

[Record] 3 min., 43.13 sec.

[Diet] Carefully monitored; high in carbohydrates, low in fat

[Training] Spends 10 months a year at Moroccan training camp, Ifrane

[Shoes] 5.2 oz., with aluminum spikes

[Weather] Warm and dry

[Surface] Synthetic track

[Added hurdles] Recent knee injury and an uncle's death