Derek Clayton

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Derek Clayton (born November 17, 1942) was an Australian long-distance runner, born in Lancashire, England and raised in Northern Ireland. He set the world best for the marathon in the Fukuoka Marathon, Japan on December 3, 1967 in 2:09:36.4, in what is considered a classic race.

He went on to break this time in Antwerp on the May 30, 1969 by more than a minute, this time stood as the world best for nearly another 12 years. 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 13th place (2:19:49). Four years later he once again ended up in 13th position in the same event.