News & Updates

The athletics community is mourning the loss of Olympian marathon runner Ivan Keats of Waihi, who passed away on Thursday 27 August aged 83.

Ivan started his running as a 3000m steeplechaser and later switched to the marathon.

He was third in the New Zealand marathon championship in Christchurch in 1961 in 2:26:47 and in the 1964 championship in Lower Hutt he was second in 2:18:44, which clinched his place at the Tokyo Olympic Games. His time was the 29th fastest in the world in 1964.

As Olympian 184, he finished 42nd in Tokyo in 2:36:17.

He was born in Christchurch but went on to live in Auckland, where he competed for the Western Suburbs Club before retiring to Waihi.

Ivan ran his last marathon in 1985 in Rotorua aged 48 in 3:13:17.