Gerda Steyn (born 3 March 1990) is a South African marathon and ultramarathon athlete. She set the Comrades Marathon down-run record in 2023 with a mark of 5:44:54, becoming the fourth woman under 6 hours for that race.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gerda Steyn |
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | 3 March 1990 Bothaville, Free State, South Africa |
| Education | University of the Free State |
| Occupation | long-distance runner |
| Years active | 2014-present |
| Sport | |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Marathon, Ultramarathon |
| Club | Phantane Athletics Club |
| Coached by | Andrew Booysen |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal bests |
|
On 11 April 2021, she became the SA marathon record holder with a time of 2:25:28 at the Xiamen Tuscany Camp Elite Marathon in Siena, Italy. She then broke her own record at the 2023 Valencia marathon, setting a time of 2:24:03.
Early life edit
Her parents are Pieter and Trudie Steyn. Gerda grew up on a farm in the Bothaville area and completed her schooling in 2008 at the Bothaville High School. Afterwards, she qualified as a quantity surveyor from the University of the Free State. She has a sister and a brother.[citation needed]
Career edit
In 2014 she went to work in Dubai and joined a running club, where she discovered her talent for running.[1] After completing her first Comrades in 2015, she met 1991 winner Nick Bester who became her coach.[2]
Her first major career victory was in the 2018 Two Oceans Marathon, in a time of 3:39:32.[citation needed]
She won the 2019 up Comrades Marathon in a record time of 5 hours, 58 minutes and 53 seconds, becoming the first woman to complete the up run in under six hours.[3]
She also won the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon in a time of 3:31:28. She won it for the fifth time in a row in 2024 and broke her course record with a time of 3:26:54.[4]
She competed in the women's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[5]
Her best time for a standard marathon is the SA record of 2:25:28, achieved in 2021 at the 2021 IAAF Xiamen Tuscany Camp Elite Marathon in Siena, Italy, breaking the previous 25-year-old SA record by more than a minute.[6]
At the 2023 Valencia Marathon Steyn finished in 11th running a time of 2:24:03 becoming the South African national record holder for the event.[7]
Results edit
| Year | Race | Place | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Comrades | Durban | 56th | 8:19:08 |
| 2016 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 14th | 4:15:44 |
| Comrades | Pietermaritzburg | 14th | 7:08:23 | |
| 2017 | Comrades | Durban | 4th | 6:45:45 |
| 2018 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:39:32 |
| Comrades | Pietermaritzburg | 2nd | 6:15:34 | |
| New York Marathon | New York | 13th | 2:31:04[8] | |
| 2019 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:31:28 |
| Comrades | Durban | 1st | 5:58:53 | |
| New York Marathon | New York | 11th | 2:27:48[9] | |
| 2020 | London Marathon | London | 7th | 2:26:51[10] |
| 2021 | Nelson Mandela Bay Half Marathon | Port Elizabeth | 2nd | 1:12:14 |
| Giulietta e Romeo Half Marathon | Verona | 4th | 1:13:28 | |
| Olympic Games | Sapporo | 15th | 2:32:10 | |
| Cape Town Marathon | Cape Town | 4th | 2:26:25 | |
| 2022 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:29:42[11] |
| New York Marathon | New York | 12th | 2:30:22 | |
| 2023 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:29:06[12] |
| Comrades | Durban | 1st | 5:44:54 | |
| Valencia Marathon | Valencia | 11th | 2:24:03 | |
| 2024 | Two Oceans Marathon | Cape Town | 1st | 3:26:54[4] |
References edit
- ^ "Gerda Steyn: The Tough One". Never stop running. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ https://www.nedbankrunningclub.co.za/News/DisplayNewsItem.aspx?niid=61485
- ^ Andrew Dawson (10 June 2019). "Women's Course Record Shattered at 2019 Comrades Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ a b Botton, Wesley (13 April 2024). "Gerda Steyn shatters record to win fifth Two Oceans title". The Citizen. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Athletics - STEYN Gerda". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
- ^ David Isaacson (11 April 2021). "Queen Gerda Steyn breaks 25-year old SA marathon record". Times LIVE. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "Marathon Results". Valencia Marathon. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "Gerda Steyn flies SA flag at London Marathon". Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ "Sensational Gerda Steyn obliterates course record to claim third Two Oceans title". News24. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
- ^ "Gerda Steyn smashes her own Two Oceans record". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
