HERITAGE IN EVERY STEP
Savages Athletic Club was built on sweat, camaraderie anda running spirit that leaves its mark long after the finish line.
MORE THAN HISTORY
Savages AC is not only remembered for races run and trophies won.
It is remebered for it people who kept showing up. The runners who gave everything. The members who built culture. The stories told after the finish. The standards set and the spirit passed on.
Shared kilometres, old photos, familiar names and the feeling of belonging to something bigger than yourself.
WHERE IT STARTED
Founded in 1960, Savages Athletic Club became a part of the fabric of Durban running through consistency, character and a deep love for the sport. Over time the club grew into more than a training group. It became a home for competitors, social runners, committed members and generations of athletes proud to wear their stripes.
Savages stood for more then performance alone. It stood for club spirit, community and the kind of loyalty that turns a name into a legacy.
MILESTONES THAT SHAPED SAVAGES
Within just two years of its establishment, Savages recorded its first major Comrades team success by winning the Arthur Newton Shield for the second-placed team. In 1965, the club claimed the Gunga Din Trophy for the first-placed team, a sign that Savages was already becoming a serious force in South African road running.
Those results were not isolated moments. The club went on to win the Gunga Din Trophy a further eight times and the Arthur Newton Shield a further three times, building a tradition of depth, commitment, and race-day excellence.
MOMENTS WORTH REMEBERING
The first individual gold medals arrived in 1963, earned by Fritz Madel, Manie Kuhn, Clive Crawley and Ted Craig, milestone performances that helped cement Savages in the country’s running story.
But heritage is not only about the biggest names or the earliest medals. It is also about every era that followed: every runner who wore the badge with pride, every member who protected the club spirit, and every generation that kept the story moving forward.
STILL RUNNING STRONG
Heritage means very little if it only lives in old records.
At Savages, the past still shapes the present. It lives in the standards the club sets, the races members target, the friendships formed at the venue, and the pride that still comes with being part of something that has mattered for decades.
The club’s story is still being written by today’s members, tomorrow’s legends, and every runner who finds their place in the stripes.
