Bruce Fordyce
Encyclopedia
Bruce Fordyce is a South Africa
n marathon and ultramarathon
athlete. He is best known for having won the South African Comrades Marathon
a record nine times, of which eight wins were consecutive. He also won the London to Brighton Marathon three years in a row. He is the current world record holder over 50 miles and the former world record holder over 100 km.
, Fordyce's family moved to Johannesburg
when he was 13 years old. He completed his school career at Woodmead High School and subsequently attended the University of the Witwatersrand
, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 and his Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979. During this time he was also a member of the university’s Student Representative Council as well as a committee member of the Wits Athletic Club.
, he placed 43rd out of 1,678 entries. He places 14th in 1978, 3rd in 1979, 2nd in 1980, and was the winner for an unprecedented eight consecutive years from 1981 to 1988; he won it again in 1990. No other runner in the history of the Comrades has achieved this feat. Fordyce also held the record time for the "up" run (Durban
to Pietermaritzburg
) and his record of 5:24:07 for the "down" run (Pietermaritzburg to Durban) stood for 21 years from 1986 until it was broken in 2007 by Russia's Leonid Shvetsov.
He has thus completed 29 Comrades Marathons, including the remarkable result of posting identical times in 1985 and 1987.
In 2011 he aimed for a silver medal, but missed this by 31 seconds (finishing time of 7 hours 30 minutes 31 seconds).
to Brighton
ultramarathon 3 years running from 1981 to 1983.
– and he also holds the 50 mile record for the United States All Comers Race. He is the former world record holder over 100 km (set in 1989, the year he skipped the Comrades Marathon).
s and magazines. He is also a motivational speaker and the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Sports Trust.
.
In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand
.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n marathon and ultramarathon
Ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is any sporting event involving running longer than the traditional marathon length of .There are two types of ultramarathon events: those that cover a specified distance, and events that take place during specified time...
athlete. He is best known for having won the South African Comrades Marathon
Comrades Marathon
The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 90 km run in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race...
a record nine times, of which eight wins were consecutive. He also won the London to Brighton Marathon three years in a row. He is the current world record holder over 50 miles and the former world record holder over 100 km.
Early life and education
Born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Fordyce's family moved to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
when he was 13 years old. He completed his school career at Woodmead High School and subsequently attended the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 and his Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979. During this time he was also a member of the university’s Student Representative Council as well as a committee member of the Wits Athletic Club.
Comrades Marathon
In 1977, when Fordyce first ran the Comrades MarathonComrades Marathon
The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 90 km run in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It is the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon race...
, he placed 43rd out of 1,678 entries. He places 14th in 1978, 3rd in 1979, 2nd in 1980, and was the winner for an unprecedented eight consecutive years from 1981 to 1988; he won it again in 1990. No other runner in the history of the Comrades has achieved this feat. Fordyce also held the record time for the "up" run (Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
to Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838, and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its "purist" Zulu name is umGungundlovu, and this is the name used for the district municipality...
) and his record of 5:24:07 for the "down" run (Pietermaritzburg to Durban) stood for 21 years from 1986 until it was broken in 2007 by Russia's Leonid Shvetsov.
| Year | Position | Time | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 43 | 06:45:00 | Up |
| 1978 | 14 | 06:11:00 | Down |
| 1979 | 3 | 05:51:15 | Up |
| 1980 | 2 | 05:40:31 | Down |
| 1981 | 1 | 05:37:28 | Up |
| 1982 | 1 | 05:34:22 | Down |
| 1983 | 1 | 05:30:12 | Up |
| 1984 | 1 | 05:27:18 | Down |
| 1985 | 1 | 05:37:01 | Up |
| 1986 | 1 | 05:24:07 | Down |
| 1987 | 1 | 05:37:01 | Up |
| 1988 | 1 | 05:27:42 | Up |
| 1990 | 1 | 05:40:25 | Up |
| 1991 | 328 | 06:57:02 | Down |
| 1994 | 19 | 06:01:54 | Up |
| 1995 | 2232 | 08:42:48 | Down |
| 1996 | 329 | 06:59:30 | Up |
| 2000 | 2691 | 08:41:11 | Up |
| 2001 | 2790 | 08:50:52 | Down |
| 2002 | 4252 | 09:48:46 | Up |
| 2003 | 2784 | 08:53:12 | Down |
| 2004 | 3088 | 09:26:02 | Up |
| 2005 | 2311 | 08:45:20 | Down |
| 2006 | 3596 | 09:41:11 | Up |
| 2007 | 3861 | 09:48:18 | Down 2008 3710 2009 3818 2010 965 2011 488 |
He has thus completed 29 Comrades Marathons, including the remarkable result of posting identical times in 1985 and 1987.
In 2011 he aimed for a silver medal, but missed this by 31 seconds (finishing time of 7 hours 30 minutes 31 seconds).
London to Brighton Marathon
Fordyce won the LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
ultramarathon 3 years running from 1981 to 1983.
World record holder
Fordyce is the current world record holder over 50 miles - a record set during the 1983 London to Brighton ultramarathonLondon to Brighton events
The route along the A23 from London to Brighton in south-east England is popular for races, tours, charity rides and rallies...
– and he also holds the 50 mile record for the United States All Comers Race. He is the former world record holder over 100 km (set in 1989, the year he skipped the Comrades Marathon).
Political activism
On his first victory race in 1981, Fordyce wore a black armband to protest the 20th anniversary celebrations of the apartheid republic attracting boos and even some rotten tomatoes thrown by a fellow runner. Fordyce has claimed this protest as "one of the proudest moments in my life".Books, journalism and public speaking
In addition to having written two books about the Comrades Marathon, Fordyce is also currently (2004) a sports columnist for various newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s and magazines. He is also a motivational speaker and the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Sports Trust.
Other honours
In 2004, he was voted 64th in the Top 100 Great South AfricansSABC3's Great South Africans
Great South Africans was a South African television series that aired on SABC3 and hosted by Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and Denis Beckett. In September 2004, thousands of South Africans took part in an informal nationwide poll to determine the "100 Greatest South Africans" of all time...
.
In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
.
External links
- South African Who's Who — Bruce Fordyce