Derek Philip Fraser Turnbull (5 December 1926 – 2 November 2006) was a New Zealand middle- and long-distance runner. He took up

Masters athletics Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair comp ...

at the age of 40, and went on to set 25

Masters Athletics World Records Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. These are the current world records in various five-year-groups , maintained b ...

Early life

Born in Waikaka, Southland, 28 km northeast of

Gore Gore may refer to: Places Australia * Gore, Queensland * Gore Creek (New South Wales) * Gore Island (Queensland) Canada * Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community * Gore, Quebec, a township municipality * Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...

, on 5 December 1926, Turnbull was educated at

Southland Boys' High School Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982. History SBHS was founded in 1881 and ...

. He went on to study at

Massey Agricultural College Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...

, gaining a Diploma of Agriculture with honours. He became a farmer, and owned and farmed 105 hectares at Tussock Creek, 30 km north of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

from about 1980.

Athletics

While at Massey, Turnbull was awarded New Zealand University

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...

s in cross country and athletics. He began competing in Masters athletics events when he was 40 years old, going on to win 28 gold medals at world veteran track and field championships. Over his career, Turnbull set 25

across various age categories and events. In 1992, he set six world records in the 65–69 age category as well as two further world best times for the year. , records set by Turnbull that still stand are: Three of Turnbull's notable marathons include: * 1987 Alaska Marathon, winning the men's 60+ category in a time of 2:38:46, his personal best for the distance * 1990

New York Marathon The New York City Marathon (currently branded TCS New York City Marathon after its headline sponsor) is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishe ...

, winning the men's 60-69 category in a time of 2:41:21 * 1992 London Marathon, winning the M 65 category in 2:41:57. In the 1988 Queen's Birthday Honours, Turnbull was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for community service. His story was documented in the book ''The Fastest Old Man in the World'' by Vince Boyle, published in 2006, and later made into a 30-minute film of the same name.

Later life and death

Turnbull suffered a mild stroke in 2001. He died on 2 November 2006, and was survived by his wife, Pat, with whom he had six children.

References

1926 births 2006 deaths Sportspeople from Southland, New Zealand People educated at Southland Boys' High School Massey University alumni New Zealand male middle-distance runners New Zealand male long-distance runners World record holders in masters athletics New Zealand masters athletes Recipients of the Queen's Service Medal {{NewZealand-athletics-bio-stub