Ian Syster

{{short description|South African long-distance runner}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Ian Syster (20 January 1976 – 25 December 2004) was a South African long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon.

He was born in Prince Albert.{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sy/ian-syster-1.html |title=Ian Syster |publisher=Sports-Reference.com |access-date=18 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025075318/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/sy/ian-syster-1.html |archive-date=25 October 2012 }} He finished fourteenth at the 2001 World Championships and seventh at the 2003 World Championships.{{World Athletics}} He also competed at the 2004 Olympic Games, but did not finish the race. At city marathons, Syster finished fifth in the 2002 London Marathon,{{cite news|title=Olympic athlete drowns after car accident|author=dpa|newspaper=The Star|date=December 27, 2004|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/12/27/sports/9752263&sec=sports}} and won the Beijing Marathon the following year.

He had a personal best of 13:45.37 minutes in the 5000 metres, achieved in March 2002 in Bellville, and 28:24.61 minutes in the 10,000 metres, achieved in March 2002 in Port Elizabeth. In the longer races he had 1:02:44 hours in the half marathon and 2:07:06 hours in the marathon, both achieved in April 2002 in the London Marathon. Ian Syster and his two-month-old son drowned in December 2004 in Keimoes following a car accident.