What’s in a name? (A Eulogy to the Jackie Gibson Marathon)

When I was at school, the matrics liked to roll marbles at their final assembly. The schoolboys all thought this was great fun but the teachers – and the deputy head in particular – not so much. I did not think that the deputy head’s face, who suffered from chronic alcoholism and was nicknamed “bottles”, could go any redder but the sound of a single marble rolling down the Memorial Hall was the trigger that would turn him purpler than Barney the Dinosaur after a long day in the sun*.

* The same deputy head liked to lurk around the showers after rugby practice. The only time I ever saw his face more enraged was on one of the occasions when I was on the receiving end of corporal punishment. He told me to “Bend over” and I replied, “No sir, I’d rather get cuts.”

The problem was one of perspective, the Memorial Hall was so named to honour Rondebosch Old Boys who had died in World War I and II. This had special commemorative significance to the deputy head but, to the schoolboys, it was just the place where we went for assembly and to watch the odd school play. I think the same logic applies in the difference of opinions with the Jackie Gibson Marathon being replaced by the inaugural Johannesburg City Marathon. It’s an argument of old school tradition versus next generation enthusiasm.

Perhaps the questions we need to answer first are who was Jackie Gibson and why should anyone care that the oldest marathon in the country, which was named after him, disappeared unceremoniously in 2024?

When I first started running in the early 2000s, I remember more experienced runners talking about the “Jackie” and, when doing so, they normally got a far-off contemplative look in their eyes, took a deep breath and then winced, saying something like, “If you want to run a tough marathon, run the Jackie*.”

* There would normally be at least two or three swear words in this sentence which I have left out because my mother reads this blog.

As for me, I was still blissfully naïve – young, dumb and full of run. Being a Cape Townian, still relatively new to the minefields of Gauteng, I remember being confused between the Jackie Gibson and the Jackie Meckler (then a double lap 50km race). I had no idea who either of these men were until a trivial pursuit question that asked, “Name three of the men who’ve won the Comrades Marathon five times or more.” had “Jackie Meckler” as one of the answers*.

* The other possible answers were Bruce Fordyce, Arthur Newton, Hardy Ballington and Wally Hayward.

However, the legacy of Jackie Gibson remained a mystery. I suspect that very few people reading this article will know who Jackie Gibson* was – and I was still oblivious despite having a few “Jackies” under my belt. I started this blog in 2017 and, after running a fourth Jackie Gibson in 2018, wrote a detailed race report which included an investigation into Jackie Gibson the man. I’ve included this section verbatim below.

* Some people don’t even know Jackie’s pronouns – I did have one comment on a social media post bemoaning the loss of “the only race named after a female runner”.

Jackie Gibson – the Man

Jackie Gibson represented South Africa at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin where he finished 8^th. He managed a 3^rd place finish at the Empire (today’s Commonwealth) Games in Sydney in 1938 where another South African, Johannes Coleman, was the winner (Gibson also finished 6^th in the 6 mile race at the same games). His greatest run was at the South African Championships in Bloemfontein in 1937 where, at altitude, he won the race in an Empire Record of 2:30:45 just a few minutes outside the world record (at this stage it was Korea and Japan who were trading world bests). He won a further two SA marathon champs and also finished second to Johannes Coleman twice in what was the great running rivalry of the day.

During World War 2, he was an “observer-navigator” in the Air Force but sadly died in 1944 (at the age of 30) after a plane crash on a military reconnaissance operation. He ran for Johannesburg Harriers and, after the war ended, they honoured his memory with a marathon bearing his name.

Aside: With Johannes Coleman pipping Jackie Gibson the man to the finish line on several occasions, it is sadly ironic that Johannes-burg City is doing the same to Jackie Gibson the marathon.

Jackie Gibson – the Marathon

As for Jackie Gibson the marathon, I remember sitting down in front of my laptop after the 2018 race wondering how I was going to describe what is perhaps the grittiest, most authentic marathon in South Africa. I try to bring out the ‘personality’ of each marathon I write about and was very proud of the eventual race report – and it was a favourite with readers. I called Jackie Gibson, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre of marathons – connoisseurs of pain, horror and gore will love it whilst the weak and squeamish will hate every minute.”

I described the route as follows, “You start about a mile above sea-level on a hill. You then run 12km of AFH* after another. If you haven’t yet burst a takkie, you can cash in on your investment with an easy 8km of downhill with just one more FH thrown in over this section (to make sure you don’t get complacent). Of course you can’t finish on a downhill, so they fit one final FH into the last kilometre and you’re back where you started. Rinse and repeat – and you have completed Jackie Gibson.”

* If you can’t figure out what AFH stands for, you’ll need to read the race report.

One of the most vocal critics of the decision to retire Jackie Gibson was Derick Marcisz, a Johannesburg Harriers life member now living in the Cape who is also a two-time winner of the race (in 1976 and 1977). Marcisz was the first runner to break the 2h30 barrier on the Jackie Gibson with his 2h27 victory in 1976 and knocked another minute off the record in 1977.

There was still a strong connection to the Gibson name in those days. Although there was no prize money (road running still being strictly amateur), the Gibson family donated a leather travelling suitcase as the winning prize, which was presented by Jackie Gibson’s sister to Marcisz.

Marcisz also notes that his winning times were much faster than that of recent victors of the race as well as this year’s Johannesburg City Marathon winner (Raphael Segodi in 2:27:24*), “In recent years winners cannot even go under 2h30m, but back in 70/80’s fewer races meant top guys raced each other often so local races were much more competitive.” Back in the day, the Jackie Gibson was a big-name race where the top runners from on the Highveld duked it out as vital preparation for Comrades.

* No other runner was able to go under 2h30 and only 16 runners beat the 3h barrier; The women’s race was won by Rene Kalmer in 3:06:14.

Those with a long attachment to the Jackie Gibson Marathon naturally feel a strong sense of bereavement with its demise. Marcisz summed up his feelings, “For me is just sad to throw away a 78-year history like this. Johannesburg Harriers is a club that formed my running career, I ran for Harriers for 28 years and served on the committee for many years.”

Another former winner and legend of South African distance running, Alan Robb, also expressed disappointment “So sad to know the Jackie Gibson name is no longer. I remember winning in 1978* when we still finished at Southern Suburbs Club.”

* The same year that Robb won the third of his four Comrades titles.

List of the oldest standard marathons in South Africa

• Jackie Gibson in Johannesburg 77
• Balwin Peninsula Marathon in Cape Town 56
• Diamond Marathon in Kimberley 54
• Bonkolo Marathon in Komani / Queenstown 50 (with their 2024 race to come)
• SA Home Loans Buffs 50
• Cape Gate Vaal 49

I asked Johannesburg Harriers Club Spokesperson, Nathalie Roelf, about replacing the Jackie Gibson Marathon with the inaugural Johannesburg City Marathon. Roelf pointed out that organising road running races in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area has become a very expensive exercise and the race has not had a sponsor large enough to sustain the race since Springbok Pharmacy pulled out several years ago, “As organizers, when we go out to seek sponsors, the Jackie Gibson brand was difficult to sell.”

Roelf also clarified that the continued lack of sponsorship brought the financial viability of the event into question, “If we continued to run the race as is, it was no longer going to be financially viable – 2024 would have been the last year Johannesburg Harriers would have been able to host a race.” Essentially it was choice of, “Finding innovative ways to continue the Johannesburg Harriers marathon legacy or perish.”

The formal “Johannesburg” marathon title has been a hotly contested keyword over the last few years with several clubs asking Central Gauteng Athletics for the right to formally use the “Johannesburg” nomer for their events. It seems fitting that Johannesburg Harriers, at 120 the oldest running club in Gauteng, to be given the honour and the marketability that goes with it.

I participated in the 2024 event and noted that a host of sponsors had come onboard including Mercedes Benz – The Glen, Hollywood Bets, Balwin Properties and JP Engineering. Roelf continued, “Lots of companies have shown interest in the Johannesburg City Marathon. In the future we are positive that we will have sufficient sponsors to sustain the race. A simple answer is that the Johannesburg City Marathon is easier to sell than Jackie Gibson Marathon.”

It is also worth pointing out that Johannesburg Harriers is not a professional club and the race is entirely organised off the back of volunteers who sacrifice their free time for the good of the running community.

If the event can draw on the success of other city marathons around South Africa, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is the most notable example although Durban International Marathon is also on the rise, a massive boost in finisher numbers can be expected. The most finishers I have on record for the Jackie Gibson Marathons is around the 1,650 mark although the race has not managed to break 650 since Covid. This places the event as the 15^th largest (out of 17) marathons and ultras in Gauteng. As a comparison, the MiWay Wally Hayward Marathon had close to 3,000 finishers in 2023. With 45% of Comrades entrants coming from Gauteng, there is tremendous potential for a well-organised marathon to capture this market share.

I can emphasise with both sides of the argument. It’s really does seem a travesty for eight decades of marathon history to disappear so unceremoniously. However, from Johannesburg Harriers point of view, you can understand their need to host a race that can attract sponsors and a larger number of runners. It’s just a shame that a suitable compromise solution was not found.

As an obsessive marathon runner, my preferred solution would be for Johannesburg Harriers to host two marathons a year – both the Johannesburg City and the Jackie Gibson. However, this is unlikely to happen on an already congested fixture list. An easier compromise solution would have been to treat the exercise as a “rebranding” rather than a replacement.

The Jackie Gibson route has changed many times over the years (the original route started at Rissik Steet in the CBD which is miles away from any of the roads used on the Jackie Gibsons that I’ve run). Renaming would retain the deep history with the bonus of maintaining claim to having the oldest standard marathon in the country (which I imagine would make the race more attractive to prospective sponsors). Running the ‘oldest marathon in South Africa’ would also be an effective marketing drawcard to the South African marathon runner – “Call yourself a real runner? Not until you’ve run the Johannesburg City Marathon – the oldest in the country.” would be a great tagline.

There is also protocol for a race changing its name but keeping its history intact. The most prominent (which also ironically honours an icon of road running who won the first Jackie Gibson Marathon in 1946) is the Wally Hayward Marathon which was originally called the Verwoedburg Marathon (hopefully no one is going to argue with that name change).

There should also be a way to incorporate the Jackie Gibson name into the race. As Derick Marcisz noted, his wining time in 1977 was faster than the 2024 winner of the Johannesburg City Marathon. Jackie Gibson’s crowning achievement was winning the South African Championships at altitude in Bloemfontein in 1937 in 2:30:45 (just a few seconds outside of the world record). Perhaps there should be a special ‘gold’ Jackie Gibson medal incentive if the winner (or maybe even the first three runners if a good sponsor comes on board) completes the race under 2h30.

Another loser with the demise of Jackie Gibson is the late Allan Ferguson, after whom the companion half marathon was named. ‘Fergie’ was another Johannesburg Harriers life member who earned several Comrades gold medals and ran the Jackie Gibson Marathon 50 times (which is a South African record). Fergie ran his debut marathon at the inaugural Jackie Gibson Marathon in 1946 in a time of 2h59 – which seems like the perfect setup for a sub-3-hour “Fergie” medal.

The Johannesburg City name has already proven to be more marketable than Jackie Gibson. It’s likely that the Jackie Gibson name would have died in the near future – cause of death ‘lack of sponsorship’. The new name gives Johannesburg Harriers a much higher probability of a longer lifespan for their marathon. However, a rebrand rather than a reboot makes much more sense. Whatever the future holds and however many editions the Johannesburg City Marathon has in store for the running community, who wouldn’t want to add another 77 finishes onto their marathon count?

Afterword – Losing your Marbles

What happens these days at the final Rondebosch matric assembly? I am pleased to report that crusty old teachers I had to endure have been replaced by a new generation of more enlightened educators. The boys get to roll their marbles without the teachers loses theirs. The marbles are collected afterwards and donated to charity. Seems like a sensible “win-win” solution. Hopefully a similar solution can be found for Jackie Gibson-Johannesburg City.

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