DIFFICULT TO PREDICT? Gerda Steyn (pictured), a three-time Comrades Marathon champion and six-time Two Oceans winner, faces strong competition from Irvette van Zyl, who possesses incredible speed and endurance, as they prepare for the Comrades Marathon down run in Pietermaritzburg. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media
Image: Henk Kruger Independent Media
Gerda Steyn will once again have a massive target on her back when she lines up in Pietermaritzburg for the Comrades Marathon down run on Sunday.
That’s for good reason though, as the three-time champion will be difficult to beat if her race goes according to plan.
Last year, Steyn’s incredible time of five hours, 49 minutes and 46 seconds (5:49:56) bettered her own ‘up-run’ record by almost 10 minutes.
‘The Smiling Assassin’ will also be looking to achieve the ‘rare double’ of winning the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon in the same year for the fourth time.
Steyn vs Van Zyl: A Thrilling Rivalry Set to Define This Year’s Comrades Marathon
Not too long ago, it was a commonly held belief that running a hard Two Oceans would harm an athlete’s chances at Comrades.
That’s the thing about the 35-year-old Steyn though, she defies convention and has done since first making headlines in 2018 when she won her maiden Two Oceans title.
Again it looks like her fourth ‘double’ is on the cards after her victory at Two Oceans in Cape Town in April.
This year though, Steyn may just have more competition than in previous years. That will likely come from Irvette van Zyl.
Unlike most of Steyn’s other competition in the gruelling ultra distance race, Van Zyl also has incredible speed at every distance from 10km to the marathon and beyond. That’s probably the biggest asset of Steyn, and Van Zyl has shown she too can convert her top performances to longer events as she has transitioned to ultras in the latter stages of her career.