Errol Yudelman

Errol Yudelman, 61, internationally renowned in the marathon community, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday February 9th at his home in Newton, MA. Errol ran 10 miles on the day of his unexpected death and was in peak physical condition. Errol was the loving husband of Marlene, (Shear) Yudelman, and father to Hayley, Beth, and Micaela, and son-in-law Joel Elster, all of whom traveled to the many sites of Errol’s marathon

races to cheer him on. Errol is also survived by his sister, Anne Yudelman Jonas, and her husband, Gavin Jonas, of Laguna Beach, CA, the Yudelman and Shear families, and a large loving group of friends.

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, in Constantia, Errol lived with his late parents, Cecily and Wolfe, and older sister, Anne, before moving to the United States. Errol began his successful running career more than four decades ago and to date, had completed 111 marathons and 17 ultra-marathons, in addition to dozens of unofficial marathons. Errol won the South African Defense Force Marathon with his best time of 2 hours 32 minutes on March 7, 1984. He finished the Comrades Marathon in South Africa on several occasions, a grueling 56-mile race, and participated in the virtual Comrades Marathon, in June 2020.

Around 2016, Errol decided the Boston Marathon was to be the site of his 100th marathon. He ran 14 marathons in 12 months, to put him at 99 marathons completed before the April 17th Boston Marathon race in 2017. COVID did not quell Errol’s running and he ran at least 4 miles every day from the start of the pandemic lockdown on March 20th, 2020. His daughters are fulfilling his goal of running his favorite route every day for an entire year.

Errol often called his beloved wife, Marlene, his “most ardent supporter.” The couple met in Cape Town when Marlene was 16 years-old, and Errol was 19. Family and friends of the Yudelmans often joined Marlene, and their daughters along the Boston Marathon route to cheer Errol on his way, numbers swelling as the years rolled on. He will always be remembered for his friendship, kindness, humor, humility, and warmth.

Sports played a central role in the Yudelman home, including a family passion for both the Patriots and the Red Sox. Errol coached his daughters’ Newton Girls Soccer teams, mentoring high school students training for their first marathon with the Dreamfar program, and cheering on his three daughters at rowing regattas, where they all excelled. He enjoyed gardening and listening to classical music at Tanglewood. Errol was a fine classical pianist and in his youth won many piano competitions.

Errol attended the University of Cape Town, where he studied Electrical Engineering. He and Marlene moved to the Boston area in 1989 when Errol was 29 years old, to attend Harvard Business School. Errol was a successful business man, with many years of consulting and financial services experience, most recently serving as Vice President at the Boston office of Centric Consulting.

The family has plans to honor Errol’s marathon career along the Boston Marathon route, near where the family gathered annually to cheer-on and provide drinks to Errol and other runners.

Errol’s burial was private, due to COVID and a virtual memorial service was held on Monday, February 15. “We will continue carrying Errol’s hopes and dreams through all of our actions, our runs, and our lives,” promises his wife, Marlene.