Ian Syster (20 January 1976 – 25 December 2004) was a South African long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon.
He was born in Prince Albert.[1] He finished fourteenth at the 2001 World Championships and seventh at the 2003 World Championships.[2] He also competed at the 2004 Olympic Games, but did not finish the race.[1] At city marathons, Syster finished fifth in the 2002 London Marathon,[3] and won the Beijing Marathon the following year.
He had a personal best of 13:45.37 minutes in the 5000 metres, achieved in March 2002 in Bellville, and 28:24.61 minutes in the 10,000 metres, achieved in March 2002 in Port Elizabeth. In the longer races he had 1:02:44 hours in the half marathon and 2:07:06 hours in the marathon, both achieved in April 2002 in the London Marathon.[2] Ian Syster and his two-month-old son drowned in December 2004 in Keimoes following a car accident.[1][3]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  South Africa
| |||||
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 14th | Marathon | 2:19:38 |
| 2002 | London Marathon | London, United Kingdom | 5th | Marathon | 2:07:06 |
| 2003 | Beijing Marathon | Beijing, PR China | 1st | Marathon | 2:07:49 |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 7th | Marathon | 2:10:17 | |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | — | Marathon | DNF |
