It’s never been done before, and that may just be the motivation Gerda Steyn needs to become the first women’s runner to finish inside the top-14 overall at the Comrades Marathon on Sunday.
Though Steyn may have some competition in the form of Irvette van Zyl for the women’s title in the down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, the three-time champion may have even bigger goals than winning if her race strategy goes according to plan.
Steyn already holds the women’s up and down run records in her three victories.
When Steyn powered to victory in the women’s race last year in 5:49:46, she finished 23rd overall. The 10th men’s finisher, Givemore Madzinganyama, crossed the line just over 12 minutes ahead in 5:37:09.
Gerda Steyn’s Record-Breaking Comrades Marathon Performances
In 2019, when Steyn won her first Comrades Marathon women’s title, she finished 17th overall in a time of 5:58:53.
The Smiling Assassin’s most recent down-run victory came in 2023 in a time of 5:44:54. This bettered the previous down-run women’s record of Frith van der Merwe by nearly 10 minutes. Incidentally, when Van der Merwe set that record in 1989, she also ended 15th overall, which was the highest finish overall by a woman in the history of the race.
Last year, Steyn added the women’s up-run record when she crossed the line in 5:49:66 as she also finished 23rd overall.
The thing about Steyn is, she is fast and competitive enough to win any women’s race in South Africa from 10km to Comrades. It means she has self-imposed goals that the public are not privy to until after the event.
It may take a superhuman effort for a woman to finish in the top-10 overall, but if anyone can do it, Steyn can.
@Michael_Sherman
IOL Sport
