Background
Dave Wright was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he attended Street John"s College, from where he matriculated in 1968.
Dave Wright was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he attended Street John"s College, from where he matriculated in 1968.
Street John"s College.
Despite not winning either event, he gained renown and is still famous in running circles as Dancing Dave Wright due to his tradition of finishing all Comrades with "something between a tango and a waltz" followed by a cartwheel across the finishing line. After high-school he spent one year at Stellenbosch University but returned to Johannesburg after only a year, entering Wits University. lieutenant was during his time at Wits that Dave first began to run competitively, including his first two Comrades in 1973 and 1974.
After four years in Durban, he returned again to Johannesburg, running for a while with Old Edwardians and later Rand Athletic Club.
The is the event in which Dave Wright established his reputation as a serious ultramarathon runner and etched his name into the lore of South African running as Dancing Dave Wright with his finishing line routine. The Dance
His routine would begin approximately 50 meters out from the finishing line, when he would hold his arms out to his sides at shoulder height while alternately swinging one leg behind the other and continuing to run.
Just before the finish he would launch into a cartwheel that took him across the line. In 1978 he cartwheeled over the line in 2nd position directly into the formally dressed lady mayor of Durban (see photo - "surprise").
Results
In addition to the Comrades, Dave also performed well in South Africa"s other major ultramarathon, the 56 km He completed the event 6 times between 1973 and 1983, placing in the top-10 on five occasions.