Donald Davis is an athlete. He holds the world record for running the fastest backward mile. On February 21, 1983 it took him 6 minutes and 7. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) 1 seconds to run backward one mile, faster than anyone else in history. He is in the Guinness Book of Records. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U