Derek Clayton

{{short description|Australian long-distance runner}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Derek Clayton

| full_name = Derek James Clayton

| nationality = English/Australian

| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|17 November 1942}}

| birth_place = Cumbria, England

| occupation = long-distance runner

}}

Derek James Clayton (born 17 November 1942) is a former Australian long-distance runner, born in Cumbria, England and raised in Northern Ireland.

Clayton set a marathon world best in the Fukuoka Marathon, Japan on 3 December 1967 in 2:09:36.4, in what is considered a classic race, the first marathon race ever run in less than two hours and ten minutes.

He went on to break this time at the Antwerp Marathon on 30 May 1969 by more than a minute; this time stood as the world best for nearly another 12 years.{{#tag:ref|The International Association of Athletics Federations has published a progression of road racing world bests and records that were widely recognized prior to ratification and official acceptance by the IAAF. According to that progression, Clayton's 2:08:34 performance in Antwerp on 30 May 1969 was a world best at the time.{{cite web

|title=12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009.

|url=http://www.iaaf.org/mm/document/competitions/competition/05/15/63/20090706014834_httppostedfile_p345-688_11303.pdf

|publisher=IAAF Media & Public Relations Department

|location=Monte Carlo

|pages=546, 563, 565, 651, and 653

|year=2009

|access-date=15 May 2010

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806172743/http://www.iaaf.org/mm/document/competitions/competition/05/15/63/20090706014834_httppostedfile_p345-688_11303.pdf

|archive-date=6 August 2009

}} Other road racing authorities, including the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, consider Clayton's performance to have occurred on a short course and recognize other athletes in the progression for world best in the marathon.Association of Road Racing Statisticians, [https://www.arrs.run/RecProg/RP_wwR.htm World Best Progressions- Road] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215121010/https://www.arrs.run/RecProg/RP_wwR.htm |date=15 December 2018 }}. Retrieved 15 May 2010.|group="nb"}} His personal best time of 2:08:33.6 is still a world-class marathon time. Clayton represented Australia at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, finishing in 7th place (2:27:23). Four years later he finished in 13th place (2:19:49) in the same event.

At the 1971 Australian Athletics Championships, he won the marathon in 2:11:08.8. Two years later, in 1973, he won the Australian Athletics Championships marathon again in 2:12:07.6. He also won the marathon in this event in 1967 and 1968. Clayton won 14 marathons in his career.{{cite web|url=https://more.arrs.run/runner/8946|title=Derek Clayton Profile at ARRS|website=more.arrs.run|accessdate=March 10, 2024|archive-date=10 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310220651/https://more.arrs.run/runner/8946|url-status=live}}

Clayton was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1999.{{cite web|url=https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/derek-clayton/|title=Derek Clayton|publisher=Sport Australia Hall of Fame|access-date=24 September 2020|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020142037/https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/derek-clayton/|url-status=live}}