Trevor Noah’s 4 Minute Mile
Whether he knows it or not, Trevor Noah recently ran his own version of the 4 minute mile. Before him, comedians from small and unknown countries did not think that “world famous” was a real possibility.
The 4 Minute Mile
If you don’t know the story of the 4 minute mile, it’s worth retelling in brief:
Before Roger Bannister ran the mile in under 4 minutes it had never been accomplished and experts actually believed it was a physical impossibility.
In the 1940’s, the mile record was pushed to 4:01, where it stood for nine years. People began to believe that it might be impossible and that humans just couldn’t run the mile in under 4 minutes.
Then On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds.
From History.com: His world record in the mile did not stand long, and the record continued to be lowered with increasingly controlled climatic and surface conditions, more accurate timing devices, and improvements in training and running techniques. A “sub-four” is still a notable time, but top international runners now routinely accomplish the feat (source).
Once the mental barrier of running a mile in under 4 minutes was broken it became an attainable goal and one that many more would work towards and accomplish. All it took was one person to break the barrier.
Pride
When I heard that South African comedian Trevor Noah had been named as the new host of the Daily Show I was immediately overwhelmed with a sense of pride. I live in South Africa and believe it or not, Americans, I have never met Trevor. I’ve seen him live and he is genuinely funny. I’m really happy for Trevor, mostly because I’m South African and so is he and hard work deserves to be rewarded.
For a few days after the news broke Trevor was the talk of the world and even more so in South Africa. I knew it was big. I knew that it mattered but I really couldn’t put my finger on the reason that Trevor Noah replacing Jon Stewart was a big deal.
Until I spoke on stage with the immensely funny Jason Goliath.
This article isn’t about Trevor Noah. This article is about Trevor Noah’s 4 minute mile and what it means for comedians from around the world.
Mr Goliath
Listening to a comedian on stage is very fulfilling. If they are funny, it’s a pleasure to watch them. Jason is funny. Really funny. He’s actually hilarious and intelligent and is clearly very driven.
For the first time I heard Trevor’s success story through the eyes of a local comedian as Jason was telling it to the audience. Jason summed up the importance of Trevor’s appointment to the show perfectly.
He explained that before Trevor made it onto The Daily Show he didn’t know what it meant to really make it as a South African comedian. He thought that selling out a single show overseas was something incredible. Being really famous abroad wasn’t really part of his goal because comedians from small countries just don’t make it big.
And then Trevor really made it. Since that moment, everything changed.
The Size Of It
If you Google it, Jon Stewart was earning ±$30m before leaving his position on The Daily Show. Let’s guess that Trevor Noah could be making a third of that figure because he’s just starting out. That makes him an immediate hundred-millionaire in South African rands. Let’s quantify that amount:
Cashiers in South African earn an annual income of ± R42 000.
Trevor Noah could be earning R100 000 000 a year at his regular day job. That’s the equivalent annual salary of 2380 cashiers in South Africans.
I’d say that for comedians across the world that kind of money is life-changing.
For many that kind of money is now attainable thanks to Trevor Noah.
