Kenneth Wood (21 November 1930 – 8 September 2008) was a British middle-distance runner. He ran one of the early Four-minute mile runs and competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Biography Wood competed with the Sheffield United Harriers athletic club. Between 1954 and 1961 he won the Emsley Carr Mile a record four times. In this period he was selected to run for Great Britain in the 1956 Olympic 1500 metres finishing ninth in the final.
Wood became the British 1 mile champion after winning the British AAA Championships title at the 1956 AAA Championships and 1959 AAA Championships.
In May 1955 Wood finished second in a two-mile race behind Sándor Iharos both breaking the world two mile outdoor record. Woods time being 8:34.8.
He became the fourteenth athlete (the fifth from the UK) to officially run a Four-minute mile, achieving a time of 3:59.3 on 19 July 1957. He in fact finished fourth behind Derek Ibbotson, who set a new British record, Ron Delany and Stanislav Jungwirth.
On the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister's first Four-minute mile, Wood claimed he had previously run under four minutes on 7 April 1954. This unofficial run being timed by explorer and then Sheffield University student Roy Koerner.
Wood died in September 2008.
Record 1954 Emsley Carr Mile White City Stadium, London 1st Mile 4:04.8 1955 Emsley Carr Mile White City Stadium, London 1st Mile 4:05.4 May 1955 Athletics Meeting London 2nd Two miles 8:34.8 (Won by Sándor Iharos (8:33.4) ) 1956 AAA Championships White City Stadium, London 1st Mile 4:06.8 Dec 1956 Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics Melbourne, Australia 9th 1500m 3:46:6 (Won by Ron Delany (3:41.49) ) July 1957 Athletics Meeting White City Stadium, London 4th Mile 3:59.3 (Won by Derek Ibbotson (3:57.2) ) 1957 Emsley Carr Mile White City Stadium, London 1st Mile 4:02.0 1959 AAA Championships White City Stadium, London 1st Mile 4:08.1 1961 Emsley Carr Mile White City Stadium, London 1st Mile 4:08.4
References