Bruce Fordyce: The man who made ultra-marathon running a South African religion
Bruce Fordyce (front) transformed ultra-marathon running into a South African cultural phenomenon, notably through his dominance in the Comrades Marathon and his role in founding Parkrun in the country, unifying runners nationwide. Picture: Tumi Pakkies/ Independent Newspapers
Image: Tumi Pakkies/ Independent Newspapers
As any runner in South Africa will know, ‘you’re not a real runner until you’ve run the Comrades Marathon’, and this is in no small part due to the incredible legacy left by Bruce Fordyce.
It’s widely known that the Comrades Marathon was the first major sporting competition in South Africa to welcome non-white participants back in 1975 during Apartheid.
Once the 1980s came around, there was one skinny white boy who began to dominate the 90km race, and that of course was Fordyce.
At the age of 25, Fordyce won his first title, and he would be unbeatable for the next seven races in a row.
1989: A Historic Year in the Race’s History
Then in 1989, something possibly even more significant in the history of the race happened. For the first time since 1980, Fordyce didn’t win and Sam Tshabalala became the first black runner of the race and Willie Mtolo finished second just for good measure.
Fordyce actually decided not to run in 1989, having just run a 100km in Stellenbosch earlier that year, but in 1990 Fordyce returned again and picked up his ninth, and final win, in the race.
Fordyce’s Impact on South African Running: From 5km Parkruns to the Iconic Comrades Marathon
It’s no surprise then, that all these years later anyone who hits the road and takes part in races knows the name of Fordyce. He is also credited as the founder and CEO of Parkrun in South Africa, that brings together even more people for a timed 5km run every Saturday morning at hundreds of different locations across the country.
These days, road running in South Africa is centred around Comrades. I know this from experience as a running nut myself. Just about every runner you speak to is training for Comrades, and the many marathons held every weekend are seldom the main goal, but serve as training or a qualifier for Comrades.
So, from 5km to 90km in South Africa, it’s clear to see that Fordyce has had a substantial impact, and when you add it all up, it’s difficult to think of someone who has unified running in the nation more.