Hendrick Ramaala

HENDRICK RAMAALA
SOUTH AFRICA

BIRTHDATE:
2 February 1972

PERSONAL BEST:
2:06:55 (London, 2006)

WORLD MARATHON MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS:

22Apr07 Flora London Marathon 5th 2:07:56
05Nov06 ING New York City Marathon 9th 2:13:04
23Apr06 Flora London Marathon 3rd 2:06:55
06Nov05 ING New York City Marathon 2nd 2:09:31
17Apr05 Flora London Marathon 3rd 2:08:32
07Nov04 ING New York City Marathon 1st 2:09:28
29Aug04 Olympic Games Marathon, Athens DNF
12Oct03 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon 8th 2:10:55
30Aug03 IAAF World Marathon Championships 9th 2:10:37
13Apr03 Flora London Marathon 8th 2:08:58
03Nov02 New York City Marathon 14th 2:17:10
04Nov01 New York City Marathon 5th 2:11:18
22Apr01 Flora London Marathon 9th 2:12:02
01Oct00 Olympic Marathon, Sydney 12th 2:16:19
16Apr00 Flora London Marathon 5th 2:09:43

CAREER NOTES:

As the sixth fastest half marathoner of all time (59:20 on the slightly downhill Lisbon course in 2000), and a three time South African 10,000m record breaker with a best of 27:29.94 in 1999, Ramaala looked set for a momentous marathon career after placing fifth in London in 2000, his first completed race at the distance after dropping out in Chicago the previous autumn. As it turned out, he consistently fell short of expectations until he won in New York in 2004.

In the meantime, however, he continued to excel at the half marathon, a distance in which he was the World Championship silver medalist in 1998 and 1999 and fourth in 1997 and 2001. He scored a rare victory over Paul Tergat in Lisbon in 2001 in 1:00:26 and topped the world rankings in 2003 at 1:00:01 in his Great North Run victory (a race he also won in 1997).

His first marathon win came in 2004 with a 2:15:47 win in tropical conditions in Mumbai, India. After an early, but abortive attempt to run away from the Olympic marathon field that year, he failed to finish, suffering a hamstring injury. He ended the year on a high with his New York victory and finished third and second at London and New York respectively in 2005, losing by a step to Tergat in the latter race.

In April 2006 he ran a significant new PR for the marathon at London with 2:06:55 for third, but could only place ninth at the ING New York City Marathon that November. Ramaala bounced back for another top five finish at the 2007 Flora London Marathon, just a minute off his personal best.

PERSONAL NOTES:

Hendrick Ramaala was born in GaMalepo, Pietersburg. Self-coached, Ramaala started as a runner after failing to make the football team at Witswaterstrand University, from which he graduated with a law degree. He is a partner of French distance runner Rodica Moroianu.

HIGHLIGHTS:

15Feb04 Mumbai Marathon 1st 2:15:47
07Apr02 Paris Marathon 6th 2:10:06