by RIËL HAUMAN
STATS & FACTS
by RIËL HAUMAN
Stats & Facts
November Highlights
The world of running produces scintillating times and interesting statistics , including these standout performances in November from the annals of SA running .
16 November 1935
South Africa ’ s oldest marathon ( apart from the national championships race ), the Durban Athletic Club ( DAC ) Marathon , was first held in 1927 , but sadly was discontinued after the 2001 race and 68 editions . On this day , Johannes Coleman ( or Johnny , as he was called ) won the first of his amazing five consecutive DAC victories , in an SA Record of 2:38:32 . It remained the fastest of his wins in Durban , but the next year he broke his record in Port Elizabeth , running more than 6½ minutes faster ). A year after this Durban victory , Coleman finished sixth in the Olympic Marathon , and in 1938 he won the Commonwealth Games marathon title in Sydney . In the midst of all his marathon running , Coleman also won the Comrades Marathon in 1937 and 1939 , setting a record for the ‘ Down Run ’ on each occasion .
Johannes Coleman
12 November 1955
The visit by a West German team to South Africa at the end of 1955 provided a big boost to local athletes . One of the visitors was Werner Lueg , who three years before had equalled the World Record for the metric mile ( 1500m ) with his 3:43.0 at the German Championships . On this day in Port Elizabeth , after meetings in Paarl and Bellville , he came up against the SA mile champion , Athol Jennings , who had also won the national 3-mile title earlier that year . Lueg narrowly outsprinted Jennings 4:09.5 to 4:09.9 , which meant that Jennings broke his own SA Record of 4:11.7 , but this was unfortunately never ratified as a
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national record . In fact , a number of faster times were run in the next two years , but it was only in 1958 that the next SA Record for the mile was officially ratified when Harold Clark clocked 4:05.4 in May 1958 . In the first test between South Africa and West Germany , in Bloemfontein early in December , Lueg ’ s victory margin over Jennings was even smaller , 4:13.2 to 4:13.4 .
13 November 1970
De Villiers Lamprecht is famous for being the first South African to run a dream mile , which he did on the Coetzenburg track in Stellenbosch on 13 November 1964 . What is less well known is that he set another SA Record on the exact same date six years later . On this evening , at a Coetzenburg meeting commemorating his first sub-4 achievement , Lamprecht scored an easy victory in 3:57.7 to break his own mark of 3:58.6 , run in 1968 . Deon Dekkers ( 4:02.1 ) and Danie Malan ( 4:02.2 ) were distant podium finishers . And these were not the only two SA mile records set on 13 November : Klasie Wessels ran 4:16.0 in Port Elizabeth on the same date in 1937 .
De Villiers Lamprecht
Athol Jennings
15 November 1975
The first four editions of the hilly Hohenort 15km in Constantia , Cape Town , were held in November . On this day , in the first race ( over 16.6km ), the well-known Western Province runner and artist Don Hartley , former double Two Oceans champion , got the win in 57:13 . Roger Cameron was second in 58:22 . The distance changed to 15km in 1984 , and these days the race is held in January . Four months after this win , Hartley also won the Peninsula Marathon .
Don Hartley
7 November 1999
The Soweto Marathon was first held in 1991 , and in 1996 was run as part of the African Games . On this day in 1999 , Joshua Peterson won the race for the second time in a row , clocking 2:18:18 , while Sarah Mahlangu achieved her third victory in 2:49:49 . Cornelius Poya and Grace de Oliveira were the runners-up . The next year , Peterson and Mahlangu would also both finish first in the Two Oceans Marathon , and Mahlangu got her fourth win in Soweto . Peterson and Mahlangu shared another coincidence : Earlier in 1999 , in Cape Town , they were both third in the SA Marathon Championships in PBs of 2:13:19 and 2:41:53 respectively .
Joshua Peterson
About the Author
These stats and results are drawn from the weekly Distance Running Results mailer compiled by internationally acclaimed athletics statistician Riël Hauman , who has more than 50 years ’ experience as a journalist , author , publisher , commentator , pundit , administrator , event organiser , coach , team manager and runner in South African athletics , road running and cross country . He
Sarah Mahlangu
is also a former editor of the South African Athletics Annual , and author of two books , Hardloop en Lééf and Century of the Marathon 1896-1996 . To subscribe to his weekly newsletter , send him
Images : Adam Nurkiewicz for World Athletics & courtesy Wikimedia , Athletics History , Maties Athletics , Don Hartley , Two Oceans Marathon , New York Road Runners