Here’s why Ernst Van Dyk is wearing the No. 10

The 50-year-old South Africa native is competing in his final Boston Marathon this year.

Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa holds the trophy after winning the men's wheelchair division at the 118th running of the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 21, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

By Christopher Gavin

April 17, 2023

More on the Boston Marathon:

There’s a case to be made that Ernst Van Dyk received his number for the 2023 Boston Marathon long before Monday’s race.

The 50-year-old South Africa native clinched his last Boston victory in 2014, giving the two-time Paralympic gold medalist his 10th win in the marathon’s wheelchair race — and, essentially, a bib number for a poignant sendoff.

The double-digit figure was Van Dyk’s official number Monday as he competed in what he has said will be his 22nd and final Boston Marathon of his career.

“I’m not sure we can encapsulate fully what this guy has meant to the sport and to Boston with 10 wins,” ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor John Anderson said on WCVB as Van Dyk began making his way from Hopkinton to Boston on Monday morning.

Amanda McGrory, the Paralympic medalist and Boston Marathon wheelchair division podium finisher, concurred.

“I can talk the whole race about Ernst Van Dyk,” McGrory said. “He’s a legend in Boston. He’s a legend in the sport. And it is a big part of the advocating that he’s done for this division that we’re here today.”

Anderson added: “They gave him No. 10 … he’s 10 because he’s won 10 of these.”

Van Dyk told Boston.com recently the Boston race is one of four he’ll compete in this year ahead of his retirement.

His departure was not necessarily planned to fall in tandem with his 50th birthday last week, he said.

“Our professional careers take different routes,” he said. “In 2021, I got a career opportunity and that fast-tracked where I was going with my career versus my sport. I also struggled in 2022 with long COVID and being older, the recovery was just really, really slow. I found myself in a space where it was not enjoyable anymore.”

Van Dyk said he’ll race in the London Marathon next week, before competing in the Chicago and New York City races later this year.

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