HISTORY
RACE RESULTS
Date | Monday, 24 May |
Weather | Cold at start, warming to oppressively hot late morning to early afternoon. |
Start Venue/Time | Durban City Hall / 6:00 |
Finish Venue | Alexandra Park Athletic and Cycle Track (The Duck Pond) |
Time Limit | 12 Hours |
Approx. Distance | 54 M |
Entries | Unknown |
Starters | 24 |
Finishers – Total | 14 |
Men | 14 |
Silver | 14 |
% Finishers / Starters |
58.3 |
THE MENS RACE
Prospects for the race were somewhat gloomy. The entry list shrunk to the smallest yet.
Within the last 12 months, Arthur Newton had left South Africa and settled in Rhodesia. His entry, however, arrived at the last minute. Harry Phillips was reputedly in top condition, but Newton remained the firm favourite.
As was his custom, Phillips went straight into the lead, which he steadily increased across the hills through Pinetown and Hillcrest, reaching Drummond in 3h 14m. Newton had worked his way into second position at this stage, passing through in 3h 24m 30s. The three Sutton brothers were all showing prominently with Ronnie lying third in 3h 41m 30s.
Newton was still the crowd’s favourite, despite being 10 minutes in arrears at halfway. Over Inchanga, across Harrison and towards Cato Ridge, Phillips hung on tenaciously, while Newton started making a slight dent in Phillips’ lead. But it was too late. Phillips, smiling to the spectators as he strode along the road adjacent to Umsunduzi River, crossed the finish line marginally less than 5 minutes before Newton. Ronnie Sutton held on to third place but it was another 67 minutes before he appeared. After realising his ambition of winning, Phillips announced his retirement. He never ran the Comrades Marathon again.
RESULT
1st | Harry Phillips * | South Africa |
6h 57m 46s New Best Time Up |
2nd | Arthur Newton | Rhodesia | 7h 02m 00s |
3rd | Ronnie Sutton | South Africa | 8h 09m 00s |
4th | Felix Henriksen | South Africa | 8h 13m 05s |
5th | Winston Sutton | South Africa | 8h 17m 00s |
6th | R.N. Wratten | South Africa | 8h 24m 30s |
7th | H.S. Sowden | South Africa | 9h 08m 20s |
8th | T.L. Warwick | South Africa | 9h 52m 00s |
9th | Frank Munnery | South Africa | 10h 07m 30s |
10th | W.G. Coulson | South Africa | 10h 25m 08s |
* Harry Phillips had represented South Africa in the Marathon at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris where he finished in 19th position in 3h 07m 13s.