Bruce Fordyce (born December 3, 1955, Hong Kong) is a South African marathon and ultramarathon athlete. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The marathon is a long-distance foot race with an official distance of 42 An ultramarathon (also called ultra distance) is any sporting event involving Running longer than the traditional Marathon length of 42 He is best known for having won the South African Comrades Marathon a record nine times, of which eight wins were consecutive. The Comrades Marathon is the world's oldest and largest Ultramarathon run over a distance of approximately 90 km (55
Born in Hong Kong, Fordyce’s family moved to Johannesburg when he was 13 years old. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. 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. The University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg is a leading South African University situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) 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. A Students' Representative Council represents student interests in the government of a University, School or other educational institution
In 1977, when Fordyce first ran the Comrades marathon, he placed 43rd out of 1,678 entries. He gradually "rose through the ranks" and went on to win the Comrades for an unprecedented eight consecutive years between 1981 and 1988; he won it again in 1990. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) No other runner in the history of the Comrades had ever previously achieved this feat. Fordyce also held the record time for the "up" (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) run and his record for the "down" (Pietermaritzburg to Durban) run of 5:24:07 (set in 1986), had stood for 21 years, and was finally broken in 2007 by Russia's Leonid Shvetsov. Durban (eThekwini is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the EThekwini metropolitan municipality. Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second largest city of the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar)
His results for Comrades (to 2007) are (year, position, time, race 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
He has thus completed 25 Comrades Marathons, including the remarkable result of posting identical times in 1985 and 1987.
His first victory was particularly brave and notable because he ran the race wearing a black armband to protest the 20th anniversary celebrations of the apartheid republic attracting boos and even some rotten tomatoes from a largely white crowd.
Fordyce is the world record holder over 50 miles - which he set during the 1983 London to Brighton ultramarathon – and he also holds the 50 mile record for the United States All Comers Race. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The route along the A23 (and often nearby minor roads from London to Brighton in south-east England is popular for races tours charity rides
In addition to having written two books about the Comrades Marathon, Fordyce is also currently (2004) a sports columnist for various newspapers and magazines. A newspaper is a written Publication containing News, information and Advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called Newsprint. He is also a motivational speaker and the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Sports Trust.
In 2004, he was voted 64th in the Top 100 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.
On the 21st of November 2007, he was given an honorary doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand. The University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg is a leading South African University situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg.
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