He had a medical practise in Bedfordview Germiston, South Africa[2] He married Kathleen de Villiers,[3] an anaesthetist, and their children were Loné, Jean, Michelle and Ferdie, Jr.[1] In 1971 he was the first African runner to run a sub 2 hour 20 minutes marathon.
His personal best was the South African open marathon on 23 April 1974 when he ran 2 hours 12 minutes.
He was the first runner in the world to run two sub 2 hours 20 minutes marathons in one week.
Due to the sporting boycott of South Africa during the apartheid era he never competed in the Olympic Games.
He used to run from Cape Town to Bellville at 12 o’clock at night after work.