Jerome Drayton was born in Germany, as Peter Buniak, and moved to Toronto (Ontario, Canada) in 1956 – and is considered Canada’s top male marathon and distance runner of all time. Jerome competed for the Toronto Olympic Club (TOC) and was the national marathon (42.2km) record-holder for over 40 years.

In 1970, Jerome set a world record on the track in the men’s 10-mile with a time of 46:37:6. He won the Fukuoka Marathon (Japan) in 1969, 1975 and 1976 – as well as the Boston Marathon in 1977, the last Canadian male runner to hold that title. Track & Field News ranked Drayton first (1969), second (1975, 1977), and fifth (1976) in their annual world rankings for the marathon.

Drayton competed for Canada at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City (Mexico), as well as the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal (Québec, Canada), where he finished sixth in the marathon. Jerome also placed second in the marathon at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada).

Overall, Drayton earned 12 national titles, and set 13 records in various distances. In 1975, Drayton started a position as a consultant with the Sports and Fitness Division of the Ontario Ministry of Youth, Culture and Recreation – where he continued working after retiring from the sport.

Jerome’s honours include earning the Norton Crowe Trophy (1977) and being inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (1978). His personal bests are outstanding – 13:34:95 for the 5000m; 28:13:74 for the 10,000m; 48:29 for 10 miles; 1:18:32 over 25km; 1:37:09 over 30km; and 2:10:09 for the marathon.