![]() After having alternated positions frequently, Wolvaardt was twenty seconds ahead of Wratten at Thornybush, with Phillips and Newton going through within a minute.Īt Umlaas Road, the order was Wratten, Phillips, Wolvaardt and Newton. ![]() He was followed by Phillips, Wolvaardt, Newton and Purcell. Wratten was the early leader at the Victoria Bridge. ![]() On a freezing morning, the journey to Durban began. The advent of the Comrades Marathon had a ripple effect on distance-running, with a noticeable increase in the number of entries in other events in Natal. Frances Hayward ran unofficially and set in motion a dream that would take another fifty-two years to be realised. Very cold at the start, becoming warm and humid near Durban.Įyebrows were raised at the sight of a woman standing among the sixty-eight hopefuls on the start line outside the Pietermarittzburg City Hall. * Finished together 1923 Down (3rd Race) Date Harry Phillips overcame his recurring knee problem to finish second and managed to hold onto a 4-minute lead over Rowan. He entered the Agricultural Show Ground a clear winner. Newton took Polly Shortt’s in his stride and, with the final, major obstacle behind him, set off for the finish, 7 kilometers away. He caught Purcell at Camperdown and from there on, his lead grew with every minute on the long descent through Thornybush. When Purcell reached Harrison Flats, after 4h 37m, Newton had reduced the lead to 7 minutes. Newton passed Imray on Inchanga and, at the top of the giant hill, set off after Purcell 20 minutes ahead. Both Phillips and Rowan stopped for a massage at this point. Phillips was next through, followed by Imray, Rowan and Newton. Williams dropped out on Botha’s Hill and Purcell inherited the lead, which he still held at Drummond passing through in 3h 33m. Lingering near the tail of the field, at this stage, was the 39-year-old Arthur Newton. Williams set out at a reckless pace and at the Rugby Hotel, in Pinetown, he was followed by Butcher Purcell, Harry Phillips, Cary-Smith, Imray and Rowan. Inaugural winner, Bill Rowan, travelled from the Belgian Congo to defend his title.Ī cheering, 2000-strong crowd sent the runners, and a convoy of helpers on bicycles, motorcycles and in cars, on their way to the Capital. * Harry Phillips subsequently represented South Africa in the Marathon at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris where he finished in 19th position in 3h 07m 13s. It is awarded to those runners who fail to achieve a prestigious, sub 7h 30m, Silver Medal, but who finish inside 9 hours. To commemorate his epic performance, the coveted Bill Rowan Medal was introduced in the Millennium year, 2000. It remains, to this day, the slowest winning time.ĭespite the troublesome knee, Phillips soldiered on, arriving at the City Hall in 9h 40m. Through Gillitts and Pinetown, followed by a convoy of bicycles, motorcycles and cars, Rowan increased the distance between himself and Phillips, who was plagued by a persistent knee injury.Ĭovered in brown, suffocating dust, but undeterred by it, Rowan finally strode down West Street, at the head of the convoy, to the finish line outside the City Hall. As the two leaders left Drummond, Rowan went into the lead, where he remained. ![]() Purcell, Phillips and Rowan were still together at Cato Ridge but, by the foot of Inchanga, Purcell had fallen two minutes behind. Leaving the city, a dusty sand road meandered over the hills and through the valleys all the way to Durban. The first leader, crossing the bridge over the Umsinduzi River was Butcher Purcell, followed by Harry Phillips and Bill Rowan. No one knew what would happen to those pioneering souls, during the course of that day, as they shuffled down the hill and out of sight. It was not a great extravaganza then, of course… but it has metamorphosed into such over the years. Shortly after 7 o’clock, a gunshot roared across the city and the greatest sporting extravaganza in the world was under way. They were waiting for someone to fire a pistol and send them on a pioneering journey, on foot, to the coast in faraway Durban an unimaginable 54 miles away. In a single line across Commercial Road, outside the City Hall, stood thirty-four official, and four unofficial, scantily clad men.
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