The definition of a late bloomer, masters athlete Clive Davies (August 7,1915 – April 25, 2001) did not take up running until age 57, then he became unstoppable, setting 46 U.S. and world age group records at multiple distances.
A naive of Wales, Davies came to Oregon in 1946 and made a career as a graphic designer. He become a runner in the summer of 1972, well into the age groups for masters competitors.. He finished third in his first race, a Masters 10K. During the next 13 years, Davies set and reset age-group records for distances ranging from 1 mile to 60 kilometers (37.2 miles).
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. His marathon records were the most impressive, he kept setting age best marks year after year.
Davies 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 ever run.
Davies was inducted to the Roadrunners of America Hall of Fame in 1983.