Vic Clapham (16 November 1886 – 1962) was the founder of the

Comrades Marathon The Comrades Marathon is an ultramarathon of approximately 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 direc ...

, the world's largest ultra-marathon, of approximately 90 km held annually between

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

and

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. As a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

veteran, Clapham conceived the race to commemorate the South African soldiers killed during the war. It was run for the first time on 24 May 19211920 – 1925: A Soldier's Dream
(accessed 8 June 2022)Daus-Weber, Theresa. (2013) The 10 Most Important Ultraces in History. ''Marathon & Beyond'', 17 (4): 40–48How it all began. ''

Finweek ''Finweek'' was a South African weekly business magazine published in both English- and Afrikaans-language editions. It was one of the country's largest circulating business titles. Competitors included fellow weekly ''Financial Mail''. ''Finwe ...

''. May 2006, p. 112 and has been run more than 80 times since then, now with an average field of 20,000 runners.

Early life

Vic Clapham was born in London on 16 November 1886 and arrived in the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

in South Africa with his parents at the outbreak of the

Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in 1899. Clapham attended

Wynberg Boys' High School Wynberg Boys' High School is a public English medium boys high school situated in the suburb of Wynberg of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Founded in 1841, it is one of the best academic schools in Cape Town, it is the ...

First World War

At the start of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he signed up with the 8th South African Infantry which was sent to

German East Africa German East Africa (GEA; german: Deutsch-Ostafrika) was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozam ...

, now

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. During this time he marched over 2700 kilometres in pursuit of General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck's askari battalions.

Comrades Marathon

After the war ended, Clapham wanted to establish a memorial to the suffering and deaths of his comrades during the war, and their camaraderie in overcoming these hardships. He conceived of an extremely demanding race where the physical endurance of entrants could be put to the test. Clapham asked for permission to stage a 56-mile race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban under the name of the Comrades Marathon, and for it to become a living memorial to the spirit of the soldiers of the Great War. Permission was at first refused but was eventually granted. The first Comrades Marathon took place on 24 May 1921,

Empire Day Commonwealth Day (formerly Empire Day) is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations, since 1977 often held on the second Monday in March. It is marked by an Anglican service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by the monarch as ...

, starting outside the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg with 34 runners. The race has been run every year since then, except for the years 1941–1945 during the Second World War and during COVID restrictions. The constitution of the race today states that one of its primary aims is to "celebrate mankind's spirit over adversity". Copper medals – known as the Vic Clapham medal – go to those athletes who finish the race between 11 and 12 hours. He died in 1962.Clapham, Vic
Deutsche National Bibliothek (accessed 8 June 2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapham Vic 1886 births 1962 deaths South African Army personnel Alumni of Wynberg Boys' High School