Clive Davies - Masters Athlete

Clive Davies started late into the world of competitive athletics, but became one of the world’s top distance runners when he did.

Born in Wales in 1915, Davies moved to Oregon in 1946 and made a career as a graphic designer. He didn’t take up running until the summer of 1972 at age 57. He finished third in his first race, a Masters event that covered 6.5 miles. During the next 13 years, Davies established 46 U.S. and world age-group records for distances ranging from 1 mile to 60 kilometers.

Davies’ top performance would come in the 1982 Boston Marathon, which he finished in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 56 seconds at age 66. The time caught the attention of Sports Illustrated magazine, which wrote a feature on him the following year when he held the world record in the marathon for ages 59-66.

Davies, who regularly trained by running 20 miles, established an American record in 1981 in the 60 kilometer ultramarathon at 4:30:26, which was more than an hour faster than anyone older than 60 had run.

Davies was inducted to the Roadrunners of America Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

Clive Davies started late into the world of competitive athletics, but became one of the world’s top distance runners when he did.

Born in Wales in 1915, Davies moved to Oregon in 1946 and made a career as a graphic designer. He didn’t take up running until the summer of 1972 at age 57. He finished third in his first race, a Masters event that covered 6.5 miles. During the next 13 years, Davies established 46 U.S. and world age-group records for distances ranging from 1 mile to 60 kilometers.

Davies’ top performance would come in the 1982 Boston Marathon, which he finished in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 56 seconds at age 66. The time caught the attention of Sports Illustrated magazine, which wrote a feature on him the following year when he held the world record in the marathon for ages 59-66.

Davies, who regularly trained by running 20 miles, established an American record in 1981 in the 60 kilometer ultramarathon at 4:30:26, which was more than an hour faster than anyone older than 60 had run.

Davies was inducted to the Roadrunners of America Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.