Athlete, Motivational Speaker & Author
Mention the Comrades Marathon, the world-famous 90-kilometre run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, in South Africa and one name still springs to mind: Bruce Fordyce, the "Comrades King", and one of the all-time greats of ultra-marathon running. Fordyce won the gruelling ultra-marathon an incredible eight times in succession, and nine times overall, to make the race his own throughout the 1980's. At a time when some runners were contenders on the Comrades "up run" (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) and others contenders on the "down run" (Pietermaritzburg to Durban), Fordyce broke the record in both directions. Bruce is a talented corporate and motivational speaker, event host and after dinner speaker.
Fordyce proved that he could compete internationally too, winning the London to Brighton Marathon three times in succession, in the process setting a world 50-mile record. In 1989 he beat the best ultramarathoner runners in the World while setting a World record for 100 kilometres in a race in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Critic of apartheid
An outspoken critic of apartheid, Fordyce and a number of other athletes decided to boycott the 1981 event when organisers announced that they would associate it with the 20th anniversary of the Republic of South Africa. Ultimately, though, Fordyce ran, wearing a black armband to signal his protest - and destroyed the opposition in record time, this despite being booed and pelted with tomatoes by white spectators.
Bruce Fordyce today
Nowadays, Fordyce is often seen at endurance events such as the Comrades and the 120-kilometre Dusi Canoe Marathon, participating to raise money for charity. He is a much sought after motivational speaker and is busy filming a television series on Africa' great endurance events. He has also returned to his roots as an archaeologist specialising on San ( Bushman ) rock art and recently chaired the steering committee of the famous "Origins" centre rock art museum at Wits University.He has also used the profile he established as a sporting hero to give back to South Africans in his role as ambassador of The Sports Trust, an independent body established in 1995 to fund sports development in the country.
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