Diane Leather

First woman to run the mile in under five minutes

Born: January 7, 1933;

Died: September 5, 2018

DIANE LEATHER, who has died aged 85, was an outstanding British athlete of the 1950s who held world and British records over several distances but will be best remembered for being the first woman to run the mile in under five minutes. Away from the running track she made a valuable contribution in the field of child welfare as a committed, caring and highly capable social worker.

Her record-breaking run was on May 29, 1954 at Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, while competing in the Midlands Championships, winning in 4ms. 59.6 secs. Having previously skirted the fabled five minutes, when informed of her time, she commented, ”Oh good, at last!”

Only three quarters of an hour earlier she had won the 880 yards in a British record, making her mile run even more impressive. Its impact was somewhat eclipsed by Roger Bannister having broken the four- minute mile barrier only 23 days previously but Leather did hers without the benefit of pacemakers and it was not a designated attempt on the record, unlike Bannister’s. She was never resentful of the acclaim he attracted, remarking that “it was normal for the time”.

Women’s distance running then was not universally approved as some considered it too strenuous, with the Olympics only introducing the women’s 800m in 1960. The efforts of Leather and colleagues did much to persuade the global athletics authorities to change their minds.

Leather enjoyed considerable success over a variety of distances in her career during which she represented Britain 16 times. In 1954 she equalled the world best time for 440 yards and set a world record at 800m while also a member of the British team that twice broke the world record at 3 x 880 yds. relay. In 1954 and ’58 she won silver medals at 800m in the European championships in Berne and Stockholm respectively.

She improved her world best mile time on several occasions, lowering it to 4m 45 secs. in 1955, which stood for over seven years until New Zealander Marise Chamberlain bettered it.

Key to her development was joining the leading athletics club Birchfield Harriers in Birmingham in 1952. There she came under the influence of Dorette Nelson Neal, one of the first female coaches of note, who encouraged her to do interval training and cross country.

Diane Leather was born in Streetly, Staffordshire, the only daughter of six children of James and Mabel nee Barringer. Her father was a surgeon and she attended Harrogate Ladies’ College, where she showed promise at lacrosse and netball. She studied chemistry at Birmingham College of Technology, after which she worked as an analytical chemist. In 1959 she married Peter Charles an engineer and they had four children, Matthew, Hamish, Lindsey and Rufus.

Leather gained a social work diploma while bringing up her children and was later a senior social worker in Cornwall.

Following retirement she remained active in various bodies concerned with child welfare, including acting as a child advocate for vulnerable children in legal proceedings. Other charities she was involved with included Cruse, the bereavement charity.

She is survived by her children, brothers David, Michael and Jeremy, and 13 grandchildren.