Gerda Steyn

Gerda Steyn (born 3 March 1990) is a South African marathon and ultramarathon athlete. She set the Comrades Marathon up-run record in 2019 with a mark of 5:58:53, becoming the first woman under 6 hours for that race.

Gerda Steyn
Personal information
Birth nameGerda Steyn
NationalitySouth African
Born (1990-03-03) 3 March 1990
Bothaville, Free State, South Africa
EducationUniversity of the Free State
Occupationlong-distance runner
Years active2014-present
Sport
Country South Africa
SportAthletics
Event(s)Marathon, Ultramarathon
ClubAdidas Running Club
Coached byAndrew Booysen
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)

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.

Early life

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, Estie, and a brother, Stefan.

Career

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.

Her first major career victory was in the 2018 Two Oceans Marathon, in a time of 3:39:32.

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.[2]

She also won the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon in a time of 3:31:28, and won it for the fourth time in a row in 2023, with a record time of 3:29:06.[3]

She competed in the women's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[4]

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.[5]

Results
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[6]
2019 Two Oceans Cape Town 1st 3:31:28
Comrades Durban 1st 5:58:53
New York Marathon New York 11th 2:27:48[7]
2020 London Marathon London 7th 2:26:51[8]
2021 Olympic Games Sapporo 15th 2:32:10
2022 Two Oceans Cape Town 1st 3:29:42[9]
2023 Two Oceans Cape Town 1st 3:29:06[10]

References
  1. "Gerda Steyn: The Tough One". Never stop running. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  2. Andrew Dawson (June 10, 2019). "Women's Course Record Shattered at 2019 Comrades Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  3. Botton, Wesley (April 15, 2023). "Gerda Steyn wins again with record performance at Two Oceans". The Citizen. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  4. "Athletics STEYN Gerda - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". Olympics.com/tokyo-2020/. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  5. David Isaacson (April 11, 2021). "Queen Gerda Steyn breaks 25-year old SA marathon record". Times LIVE. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  6. "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  7. "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  8. "Gerda Steyn flies SA flag at London Marathon". Sport. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  9. "Sensational Gerda Steyn obliterates course record to claim third Two Oceans title". News24. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  10. "Gerda Steyn smashes her own Two Oceans record". TimesLIVE. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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