LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Faster than Four Minutes


Photo provided

The mile is often the benchmark of fitness for casual joggers to competitive runners. Lafayette resident Tim Bayley can run it in under four minutes. In fact, he can cover the distance in 3:58.3 to be exact; a remarkable time few can accomplish.

A resident of Lafayette, Bayley's running career began eleven years ago in England when, at age 17, he was on the cusp of becoming a professional cricket player. At the time, he had recently started running and decided, in lieu of the game, he would purse the challenge of distance running.

He competed for the University of Brighton in England where he received his undergraduate diploma before coming to the States to pursue a Master's degree and two-year running career at Iona College in New York. In those two years, Bayley consistently turned out impressive performances in the 800 meter (or half mile) distance; in his first year of competition he placed second in the NCAA outdoor championships, and he placed fifth in his second year. Following graduation from Iona, he placed fifth in the 800 meter race at the British Olympic Trials.

Since that time, Bayley has shifted his focus to the mile. He's broken the four-minute barrier four times so far. Once in 2009 for the Inaugural Sports Basement Elite Mile Event which was held in Lafayette. "We ran up and down Mt. Diablo Boulevard," comments Bayley in his classic British lilt. "There were nine sub-four minute milers in that event which was exciting," he said.

Bayley's goals are as impressive as his accomplishments: he's working toward the World Championships, and later, the 2012 Olympic Games in the 1500 meter race also known as the "metric mile."

Of the Texas Relays, a recent race in Austin, Bayley said: "It was a controlled race with a big sprint to the finish. I came in sixth, but I beat some really good runners."

In addition to his own training, Bayley coaches youth and adult members of the Lamorinda community. He also belongs to the Bay Area Track Club and is the representative for the Contra Costa County area, promoting fitness community-wide.