Gerda Steyn claims fourth Comrades Marathon title in tactical masterclass
CHAMPION Gerda Steyn clinched her fourth Comrades Marathon women's title with a dominant performance on Sunday, showcasing her ultra marathon dominance in South Africa once more. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media
A TACTICAL masterclass is what South African Comrades Marathon runner Gerda Steyn produced in landing her fourth title on Sunday.
Even when Elizabeth Mukoloma pulled away at a blistering pace from her in the early stages, Steyn kept her composure, and once she reclaimed the lead, she held that position all the way to the 'down run' finish line at the People's Park in Durban.
The result confirmed Steyn's status as the dominant force in ultra marathon running in South African with her third consecutive title, her maiden win came in 2019.
She crossed the line in five hours, 51 and 19 seconds (5:51:10).
While the latter stages of the race became somewhat of a grind for her. Steyn did seem to have her struggles but she managed her fatigue once again.
Alexandra Morozova finished in second (5:55:56) and provided a serious challenge, but did not have the legs to catch Steyn ultimately.
Steyn started at a steady pace, and was content to let Elizabeth Mukoloma lead the way in the early on.
Earlier, in a first for the Comrades Marathon, the elites went off 15 minutes ahead of the rest of the field in what was an attempt to alleviate some of the congestion of runners at the start.
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Gerda Steyn won hewre fourth Comrades on Sunday. Photo: Leon Lestrade Independent Media Image: Leon Lestrade Independent Media The reign is likely to continue unabated — at least for the foreseeable future. But there's every reason to believe it will not be the no-contest it had been in previous years. Gerda Steyn's fourth victory in the Comrades Marathon was not as compellingly dominant as her previous three. The Smiling Assassin beat second-placed Alexandra Morozova by just three minutes, clocking 5:51:09 in Sunday's Down Run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Steyn sportingly welcomed the challenge, with the Russian runner — who won three years ago in her absence — just a minute behind at one stage of the race. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'To have had that competition was also good, not just for me to raise my performance but also for the race,' Steyn said, during the post-race media conference deep in the bowels of the Moses Mabhida Stadium. 'It is no surprise to see a tight time of only three minutes between us, because Alexandra had done well. We can expect faster times to come — and Comrades deserves it.' The Hollywood Athletics Club star said she relishes being challenged and enjoys seeing more talented runners enter the race because 'it is exciting to get competition. "As I said in the pre-race conference," she added, "we are entertainers, and I hope it (the race) was great to watch. It is not a one-woman show. "When I heard Alex (Morozova) had gained a minute on me at Fields Hill, it made me work harder. The competition makes me want to be in my very best shape whenever I go into the race.' Queen of Comrades! 👑🇿🇦 Gerda Steyn crossed the finish line in 5:51:19 to secure her 4th Comrades Marathon title! A phenomenal performance from Gerda.🏃♀️🔥#Comrades2025 #TeamSA #ForMyCountry — Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) June 8, 2025
