Comrades Marathon

A project intended to record all the Comrades Gold medal winners on our Geni tree (but not limited to Gold medal winners):

Heroes are usually associated with fanfares, limelight and maximum exposure, which is generally the case with Comrades Marathon, with the winners, especially in the modern age, being accorded huge worldwide TV and media coverage. We remember all past "Heroes" and not just the great achievers but the ordinary, generally non-athletic runner who participates merely to finish. It is these "Heroes" who epitomise and capture the spirit of the Comrades Marathon encapsulated in the constitution of the Comrades Marathon Association.

The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 89 km (approx. 56 miles) which is run annually 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.

The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24th May 1921, Empire Day, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. It has continued since then every year with the exception of the war years 1941-1945, with the direction alternating each year between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the so called up & down runs.

The Comrades Marathon is a cherished South African national treasure and attracts thousands of runners, spectators and television viewers every year.

We invite you to participate in this project and add profiles of Comrades medal winners.

Comrades records Men Down Men

• David Gatebe -South Africa - 2016 - Time - 5 hours 16 minutes 19 seconds UP
• Leonid Shvetsow - Russia - 2008 - Time - 5 Hours 24 minutes 49 seconds

Women Down

• Frith van der Merwe - South Africa - 1989 -Time 5 hours 54 minutes 43 seconds Up
• Elena Nurgalieva - Russia - 2006 - Time 6 Hours 9 minutes 23 seconds

Most wins as per 2016

• Men

1. Bruce Fordyce -South Africa - 9
2. Arthur Newton - South Africa - 5
3. Hardy Ballington - South Africa - 5
4. *Wallace Henry Hayward WALLY 1908-2006 - South Africa - 5
5. Jacky Meckler - South Africa - 4

Women

1. Elena Nurgalieva - Russia - 8
2. Maureen Holland - South Africa - 4
3. Lettie van Zyl - South Africa - 3
4. Helen Lucre - South Africa - 3
5. Frith van der Merwe - South Africa -3
6. Maria Bak - Germany - 3

Roll of Honour

• The criteria for inclusion in the Comrades marathon Roll Of hounour is:

1. 3 Wins
2. 5 Gold Medals
3. 10 Plus medals

• The names recorded in this roll are runner who have earned their COMRADES Marathon Numbers in perpetury, member of and excluded band who have experienced a special relationship with this great race.

To date (2015) 11249 runners have earned this distinction.

The Comrades marathon association congratulates and hou\nours each and every one of you who have formed part of the history of the Comrades Marathon

All these runners have received a permanent green(PN) number.

Not yet on tree marked balck

Already on tree marked blue

We will start at the person with the highest amount of medals

46 Medals

• Dave Rogers - Permanent number 183

44 Medals

1. Louis Massyn - PN 403
2. Barry Holland - PN 916

42 medals

1. Clive Crawley - PN 1
2. Alan Rob - PN 1704
3. Dave Lowe -PN 1702
4. David Williams - PN 1550

40 Medals

1. Kenny Craig - PN 145
2. Riel Hugo _ PN 1221
3. Tommy Neitski - PN 1669
4. Vic Boston -PN 3111 39 Medals
5. Liege boulle - PN - 141

38 Medals

1. Zwelitsha Gono - PN - 1180
2. Caspar Greef - PN - 1264
3. Johan van Eeden - PN - 1691

Legends

• Phil Masterton-Smith

Winners

• 1961 - George Claassen

Comrades runners profiles on Geni

(With amount of medals achieved.)

• Deirdrè Krugel - (7 Medals)
• Marais Meyer - (5 Medals)
• Hendrik Botes

Permanent Green Number Club

To achieve this prestige you need to have successfully completed 10 Comrades Marathons - 10 medals achieved. Comrades Runners already on the tree: Green Number Club.

• Julanie Meyer - (13 Medals) Permanent Green Number Club.
• Harry John Buchanan - (13 Medals) Permanent Green Number Club.
• Ockert Casper Dupper (10 medals)
• Julanie Meyer 18 Medals

Double Green Numberes Club - 20+ medals

• Johannes Petrus Meyer - (20 Medals) Permanent Green Number Club.

Gold Medal winners

Each year the first 10 Men usually completing the crueling 89 km between 6hours and 6.30 hours and 1st 10 Lady runner usually completing within 6 - 7 hours recieve a geniune gold medal, sponsored by the Harmony Gold mine.

• Julanie Meyer 8 Gold

(1) How to Add a Profile to a Project Page

(2) Suggested Letter to Profile Managers of Profiles added to this Project

References

• Wikipedia Comrades Marathon
• Comrades Marathon official site
• Bygones and Byways: Comrades Marathon History

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Related Geni Projects:

• SA Olympic Team 2012 Project