Wally Hayward

Wally Hayward specialized in ultra-distance running, winning the Comrades Marathon in South Africa five times, the first in 1930 and the last in 1953. He won a bronze medal in the 1938 British Empire Games 6 miles event and finished fourth in the 3 miles competition. His greatest year was 1953 when he won the Comrades, broke the record for the 80 km. London-to-Brighton race by 22 minutes, set a world record for 50 miles, and broke the world record for 100 miles and the 24-hours race. The 1999 Comrades was dedicated to Hayward and one of the qualifying races for the Comrades is named in his honor. Hayward served in World War II as an engineer, fighting in North Africa and Italy and in 1942 earned the British Empire Medal for bravery for his actions near El Alamein in Egypt.

Personal Bests: Mar – 2-31:51 (1952).