Murray Halberg

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Murray Gordon Halberg (7 July 1933 – 30 November 2022) was a New Zealand runner and philanthropist. Born in Eketāhuna, he later moved to Ōwairaka in Auckland and attended Avondale College. A rugby injury in his youth left his left arm withered, but he turned to running and was coached by Arthur Lydiard, helping him rise to national prominence.

Halberg competed in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, finishing 11th in the 1500 metres. He won a gold medal in the three miles at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and became New Zealand’s first sub-four-minute miler. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, he won gold in the 5000 metres and finished fifth in the 10,000 metres.

In 1962, Halberg carried the New Zealand flag at the opening ceremony of the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth and defended his three-mile title, while also setting several world records in imperial-distance events.

He received many honors: he was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1961 for services to athletics; knighted in 1988 for services to sport and crippled children; and appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand in 2008. He also received the Blake Medal in 2008 for lifelong contributions to athletics and disability support.

Off the track, Halberg founded The Halberg Trust in 1963 to help children with disabilities take part in sport and recreation; it later became the Halberg Disability Sport Foundation and runs the Halberg Awards. He worked as a teacher, industrial chemist, and shop worker before dedicating himself to charity work. He lived on Waiheke Island and in Auckland and died on Waiheke in 2022, aged 89. He is survived by his wife Phyllis and three children, Greta, Carl and Stefan.