Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 59, June 2014 | Page 14

Living Legend

Thumbs Up
In the early 80’s, Natal local
Graeme Fraser clinched six gold
medals in the Comrades Marathon while
competing alongside big names like
Bruce Fordyce, Alan Robb and Tony
Abbott. Today, a debilitating disease
means he can no longer get out to
support his beloved race in person, but
he remains a dedicated supporter of the
race and the running community.
– BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Images: Courtesy Steven Fraser

W

hen former Comrades gold medallist Graeme
Fraser was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND)
at the beginning of 2014, a disorder that affects the cells
that control voluntary muscle movement, often making
speaking, swallowing and walking nearly impossible, he
says the running community immediately rallied round.
“The running community is amazing and I’ve had so
many people contacting me and supporting me through
this difficult time. I lost a lot of weight a year ago. In my
Comrades days, I was around 66kg and I’ve dropped just
under 40kg now. It’s taken a hold, I get fed through a drip
and am bound to a wheelchair,” he explains.
With Comrades upon us, Graeme has had a lot of time to
think about the race he has held so dear since first running
it in 1975. “Back then, everyone was obsessed with
running it,” he says. “The idea of attempting Comrades
came up and it was quite a thing to do back then,

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ISSUE 59 JUNE 2014 / www.modernathlete.co.za

because we didn’t have all the fancy technology or
supplements like today. I remember having to boil
honey and water for my race-day nutrition!”

THE GOLDEN STREAK

Graeme clocked an admirable 7:46 in that debut
Comrades, running in the colours of Westville AC,
and a year later went 30 minutes faster to grab
his first silver medal. Another 7:45 followed, and
then in 1978, now running for Hillcrest Villagers, he
dipped under seven hours for the first time. That
6:28 also put him in the top 50 for the first time
as he came home 39th. “I missed the race in ’79
because I was hit by a car on a training run, but
returned even stronger the next year with a 5:58
finish for 11th place,” he says. “From that point, I
knew I had to break into that top 10, even though
the competition was strong.”

Comrades will always be there
to honour. There’s such a great
camaraderie when it comes around.
And so began Graeme’s golden streak. In 1981 he
crossed the line in 5:54:12, coming home sixth to
secure his first Comrades gold. “I couldn’t quite
believe it! I broke into that field and it’s a standout year for me. The next year was even better, I
was close and came third with a 5:41.” Over the
next four years he was third again, then seventh,
tenth and sixth to secure four more golds, also
securing permanent number 666 in 1985. In that
same period, he also earned two gold medals in the
Two Oceans ultra in Cape Town, and twice finished
second behind Bruce Fordyce in the London to
Brighton ultra in the UK.

SUPPORTING ROLE

Graeme ran his 12th Comrades in 1988, finishing
88th in 6:30:25, but failed to finish in 1989 and
then decided to take up a supporting role on the
route with Hillcrest Villagers. That saw him become
a regular at the club’s \