Then & Now: Jul. 19, 1999

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