Rudy Hansen

As a representative of the AIK95 sports club Rudy Hansen ran in long-distance and ultra long-distance races. At the 1908 London Olympics Hansen competed for Denmark in the marathon, finishing in 26th place at almost an hour behind the winner’s time. One of Hansen’s most famous victories came in the “Sjælland Rundt”, a race that was competed over more than 420 kilometres with each runner eating and resting wherever possible. He won the 1910 edition of the race in 99-and-a-half hours, covering about 100 kilometres per day.

In late 1913 Hansen immigrated to the United States, finding work as a commercial artist. He initially lived in Chicago before moving to New York and finally settling in Douglas, Arizona. Hansen had a long career with the YMCA in Douglas where he worked as the organisations secretary and chair in the 1950s. From 1959 to 1969 Hasen worked as a magistrate. He died in a nursing home in Arizona in 1977.