Mark Plaatjes, '93 World Champ at 2007 USA XC Champs

Mark Plaatjes, known for so long as a man without a country, fled his apartheid homeland - South Africa - in 1988. He came to the United States to make a better life for himself and his family. From 1988…
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Mark Plaatjes, known for so long as a man without a country, fled his apartheid homeland - South Africa - in 1988. He came to the United States to make a better life for himself and his family. From 1988…
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Mark Plaatjes, known for so long as a man without a country, fled his apartheid homeland - South Africa - in 1988. He came to the United States to make a better life for himself and his family. From 1988 to 1993, Plaatjes had no country to claim: he had no jersey to wear; he could not represent his native South Africa and he was not yet a citizen of the United States. Despite having no country to run for, Plaatjes continued with his training and earned success. In 1991, Plaatjes won the L.A. Marathon with time of 2:10:54... yet he was still denied a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Finally, in 1993, Mark Plaatjes became a citizen of the U.S. and immediately made an impact on distance running in our country. At the World Championships that same year, Plaatjes surprised the field by overtaking Nambia's Lucketz Swartbooi in the final 3K of the 26.2 mile race. That was a definite glory day for himself and his newly adopted country. Today, Mark Plaatjes and his family live in Boulder, Colorado; he practices physical therapy and is part owner of Boulder Running Co.