David John Dodds

David John Dodds was a British marathoner and jockey, born in Sunderland, County Durham, in 1930. After training as a fitter and turner he became a well-known figure in local athletics before emigrating to Southern Rhodesia in 1954. The next year he came second to Jan Barnard at the South African Marathon Championships and ran the 90 kilometre Comrades Marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, finishing fourth of 92 entrants in 6 hours 25 minutes 15 seconds and winning the novices trophy. He took part in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, then became a successful amateur jockey who won over 50 races, including the Rhodesian Grand National in 1965. He died in Sunderland in 2021.