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
ClubPhantane Athletics Club
Coached byAndrew Booysen
Achievements and titles
Personal bests

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.

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

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.

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.[2]

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.[3]

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.[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

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

References

  1. ↑ "Gerda Steyn: The Tough One". Never stop running. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  2. ↑ https://www.nedbankrunningclub.co.za/News/DisplayNewsItem.aspx?niid=61485
  3. ↑ Andrew Dawson (10 June 2019). "Women's Course Record Shattered at 2019 Comrades Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  4. ↑ Botton, Wesley (15 April 2023). "Gerda Steyn wins again with record performance at Two Oceans". The Citizen. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "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.
  6. ↑ David Isaacson (11 April 2021). "Queen Gerda Steyn breaks 25-year old SA marathon record". Times LIVE. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Marathon Results". Valencia Marathon. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "Gerda Steyn flies SA flag at London Marathon". Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Sensational Gerda Steyn obliterates course record to claim third Two Oceans title". News24. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "Gerda Steyn smashes her own Two Oceans record". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
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