Canadian Marathon Legend Jerome Drayton Dies at 80

Drayton, the last Canadian man to win the Boston Marathon, passed away during knee surgery in Toronto.

Jerome Drayton, born Peter Buniak in Germany, immigrated to Canada in 1956 and became a celebrated long-distance runner.
Drayton won the 1977 Boston Marathon, becoming the first Canadian man in 29 years to claim victory in the prestigious race.
He held the Canadian men’s marathon record for 43 years, with a time of 2:10:09 set at the 1975 Fukuoka Marathon in Japan.
Drayton represented Canada at the Montreal Olympics, finishing sixth in the marathon, and was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.
After retiring, he contributed to the development of athletics in Canada as a consultant with Ontario’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Recreation.