Zola Budd is a South African middle-distance and long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain and the 1992 Olympic Games for South Africa, both times in the 3000 metres. In 1984 (unratified) and 1985, she broke the world record in the 5000 metres. She was also a two-time winner at the World Cross Country Championships (1985–1986). Budd mainly trained and raced barefoot. Her mile best of 4:17.57 in 1985 stood as the British record for 38 years until Laura Muir ran 4:15.24 on 21 July 2023.
Pietermaritzburg is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King Dingane's royal homestead uMgungundlovu. Pietermaritzburg is popularly called Maritzburg and is often informally abbreviated to PMB. It is a regionally important industrial hub, producing aluminium, timber and dairy products, as well as the main economic hub of uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The public sector is a major employer in the city due to local, district and provincial government offices located here.
An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres. The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running.
The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 88 kilometres (55 mi) 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 direction of the race alternates each year between the "up" run (87.6km) starting from Durban and the "down" run (87.7km) starting from Pietermaritzburg.
Pinetown is a city that forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, based just inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The city is situated 16 km north-west of Durban and 64 km south-east of Pietermaritzburg.
Vic Clapham was the founder of the Comrades Marathon, the world's largest ultra-marathon, of approximately 90 km held annually between Durban and Pietermaritzburg in South Africa.
Jeremy Wafer is a South African sculptor and printmaker.
Nikki Kimball is an American distance runner specializing in the Ultramarathon. She ran her first 100-mile race at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in 2004, and was the female winner. She was the winning female at Western States again in 2006 and 2007, becoming only the third woman to win Western States three times. In 2014, she won the Marathon Des Sables multi-stage endurance race on her first attempt. Prior to running, her main sport was cross-country skiing. She was crewed at the 2007 Western States by U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana, where Kimball lives. She lives in Bozeman, Montana.
Barney Klecker is the United States former record holder for the 50 mile ultramarathon, finishing with a time of four hours fifty one minutes and twenty five seconds. This record was set on October 5, 1980, at the AMJA Ultramarathon in Chicago, Illinois. Klecker is a two-time champion of the City of Lakes Marathon/Twin Cities Marathon and the Edmund Fitzgerald 100 km. He was also the winner of the first two runnings of the Tallahassee Ultradistance Classic. Klecker won the 1978 Grandma's Marathon in a time of 2:18.42.
Robert Harold Lundie "Jock" Strachan was a white South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. He flew for the South African Air Force during the Second World War, trained as an artist, then became Umkhonto we Sizwe's first explosives expert. He was imprisoned for sabotage, and after his release served another sentence for telling a journalist about poor prison conditions. He wrote two semi-autobiographical books, and completed the Comrades Marathon twice, winning a medal once. He married twice and had three children.
Dave Wright is a former South African ultramarathon athlete. He won 5 gold medals in the Comrades Marathon, the world's largest and oldest ultramarathon, and 3 gold medals in the Two Oceans Marathon. Despite not winning either event, he gained renown and is still famous in running circles as Dancing Dave Wright due to his tradition of finishing all Comrades with "something between a tango and a waltz" followed by a cartwheel across the finishing line.
Baldwin Sipho "Ben" Ngubane was a politician from South Africa. He held multiple positions in the post-apartheid government of the country. In particular, he was Premier of KwaZulu-Natal from 1997 to 1999 and Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology from 1994 until 31 August 1996 and from February 1999 until April 2004.
Shaun Meiklejohn is a South African marathon and ultra-marathon athlete, most widely known for his winning of the 1995 Comrades Marathon, the 89 km marathon between Durban & Pietermaritzburg. Before the 2014 race winner Bongmusa Mthembu, he was the most recent winner from the race province, KwaZulu-Natal. He has completed the race 30 times.
Ellie Greenwood is a British and Canadian ultramarathon runner. She is a four-time 100km World Champion, winning both individual and team titles in 2010 and 2014. She won the 90 km Comrades Marathon in South Africa in 2014, becoming the first British woman to win the race. Greenwood is also a former champion and course record holder for the Canadian Death Race, Western States 100, and the JFK 50 Mile Run.
Jacquelyn Camille Herron is an American ultramarathon runner and scientist. She has 12 world records in ultramarathon distances.
Sage Clifton Read Canaday is an American long-distance runner and ultramarathoner.
Hoseah (Hoss) Tsjale is a South African ultra-marathon runner.
Bongmusa Mthembu is a South Africa ultramarathon runner.
The 2024 Comrades Marathon was the 97th edition of the ultramarathon, which took place on June 9, 2024. The race was an "up" run, starting in Durban and finishing in Pietermaritzburg, covering 85.91 kilometers.
