The perfect sports fable always revolves around an athlete's burning desire. A discipline becomes a muse, a constant obsession under which every day rises and sleeps. The athlete eventually understands granular pieces of practice, and training morphs into a personal proving ground.
Reality isn't built for a movie set, though, so the perfect story doesn't have to be so, well, perfect. Human flaws can introduce new elements and add flavor to the tale. They make the story more colorful with a sweeter payout for the final accomplishment.
Enter Sean Sullivan. The Boston College men's track and field athlete broke the program's indoor record in the mile with a time of 4:02.