Norman Stephen Taber (September 3, 1891 – July 15, 1952) was an American middle distance runner. He was the first amateur runner to surpass Walter George's professional record in the mile, set nearly 30 years previously. He also won a bronze medal over 1500 m and a gold medal in the team 3000 m at the Olympic Games in

Stockholm 1912 The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, bet ...

.Norman Taber
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1912 Olympics

Taber emerged as a top runner in 1910 when he finished third in the

IC4A IC4A Championships (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) is an annual men's competition held at different colleges every year. Association was established in 1875, the competition (started in 1876) served as the top level col ...

championship mile for

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. Missing the 1911 season, he re-emerged in 1912, finishing sixth in the IC4A cross country, then surprising many by tying mile record holder

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

over that distance at the

championships. He was selected for the Olympic 1500 m team and was one of the favorites for that event at the 1912 Olympics held at

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. When the final was held July 10, he led for part of the race and challenged leader

Abel Kiviat Abel Richard Kiviat (June 23, 1892 – August 24, 1991) was an American middle-distance runner. He was the oldest living American Olympic medalist at the time of his death. He competed for and coached the Irish American Athletic Club, and was la ...

on the final homestretch. However, Arnold Jackson of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

passed them both, and a photo-finish between Kiviat and Taber awarded Kiviat the silver medal and Taber the bronze. He nevertheless won an Olympic gold medal in the 3000 m team race.

The first IAAF mile record

On May 31, 1913, Taber ran again in the IC4A championships, and was up against world record-holder Jones in the mile. Taber led at the first three quarters, in 61.6, 2:09.3 and 3:16.1. But Jones launched into his drive as the bell for the final lap sounded and Taber couldn't respond. He crossed the finish line in 4:14, a new world amateur record, and the first mile record to be recognized by the new governing body of track and field, the

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

, known then as the International Amateur Athletics Federation. Taber's 4:16 made him the fourth-best amateur over the distance. Taber won the AAU championship over the mile later that year with a 4:26 clocking, then went to

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

, as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

. He ran for Oxford, but did not find much success.

Taber eclipses George

In 1915, he decided to make an attempt to break Jones' mile record, and he trained with coach Eddie O'Connor for six months to do so. By June, he was in top form. He defeated Kiviat on June 26 in 4:15 in the Eastern Trials for the AAU, then won a mile at the Milrose AA in 4:17 a few weeks later. He chose July 16 to make a special attempt to break the mile record. But he was not just aiming for Jones' world record – he was also aiming for Walter George's professional record of 4:12, set in 1886. The

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

track at

Allston, Massachusetts Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part ...

was extremely fast and the weather was perfect for the attempt. Five seasoned timers were on hand, as were three pace-setters who were given handicaps to best assist Taber in his quest. J.W. Ryan, who was given a 10-yard lead, set a fast pace, clocking 58 s for the first lap. Then, D.S. Mahoney, who had been given a 120-yard lead, took up the pace-setting duties and pulled Taber through the half in 2:05, then 3:13 at the three-quarter mark. J.M. Burke, given a lead of 355 yards, carried Taber on through the final lap, and the crowd, sensing a record, cheered loudly: Taber passed 1500 m unofficially in 3:55, faster than the world record, and it was clear Jones' amateur record would fall. Taber passed Burke into the homestretch and slowed, but kept his form and crossed the finish line. After a few moments, the official time was announced as 4:12, and pandemonium ensued, with the crowd invading the track. Taber had beaten George's 29-year-old professional record by of a second, and had become the fastest miler in history. While some raised objections over the pacing involved and the lack of any race, the IAAF ratified the record, and it stood until

Paavo Nurmi Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn", as he dominated distance running in the 1920s. Nurmi set 22 official world r ...

eclipsed it in 1923.

Personal life

After retiring from competitions Taber became an expert in municipal finances and founded a company in this field. He later became a Life Trustee of Brown University.

1912 Olympics

The first IAAF mile record

Taber eclipses George

Personal life

References

Further reading