John Disley, Olympic medalist, cofounder of the London Marathon, and an innovator who helped shape running globally, died in London on February 8, after a brief illness. He was 87.
Disley and Vladimir Kasantsev of Russia were cofavorites for the Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase in 1952 in Helsinki, but Horace Ashenfelter of the U.S. was the dramatic winner, with Kasantsev second and Disley in bronze medal position. Disley broke the steeplechase world record in 1955, and at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne he placed sixth behind his teammate Chris Brasher.
Those two in 1981 became cofounders of the London Marathon, with Disley the highly efficient course-designer and operations specialist, while Brasher handled publicity, a relationship with similar to the one between Allan Steinfeld and Fred Lebow in New York City. It was a visit to the New York City Marathon in 1979 that inspired them to create a London equivalent.
Disley and Brasher had the vision of making charity fundraising central to the London Marathon's mission, the first major race to do so. Following Lebow, they also insisted that every runner, however slow, should be equally offered a life-changing experience.
Disley had previously taken the small Swedish activity of orienteering to Great Britain and turned it into a significant sport there and globally.
The John Disley Award for Lifetime Achievement in running is named in his honor. He personally presented the first award in 2015 to Paula Radcliffe.
Disley is survived by his wife, Sylvia. As Sylvia Cheesman she also won a bronze medal in Helsinki, on Great Britain's 4 x 100-meter relay team.
Roger Robinson is a highly-regarded writer and historian and author of seven books on running. His recent Running Throughout Time: the Greatest Running Stories Ever Told has been acclaimed as one of the best ever published. Roger was a senior writer for Running Times and is a frequent Runner’s World contributor, admired for his insightful obituaries. A lifetime elite runner, he represented England and New Zealand at the world level, set age-group marathon records in Boston and New York, and now runs top 80-plus times on two knee replacements. He is Emeritus Professor of English at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and is married to women’s running pioneer Kathrine Switzer.
