Few outside her family and friends had heard of Gerda Steyn when she first lined up for the Two Oceans Marathon in April 2016.
Hardly surprising, as her 8hr 19min for 56th position in her Comrades debut 10 months prior – impressive as it was after just seven months of training – had not commanded media attention.
And while her not-far-outside gold medal territory Two Oceans 4hr 15min debut might have alerted keen followers of the sport that the then 27-year-old Dubai-based quantity surveyor would be a serious crown contender, the fact Steyn finished 30 minutes behind winner Caroline Wöstmann went largely unnoticed.
But, by the time she next raced the Two Oceans in 2018, her impressive 6:45:45 in the Comrades up run the previous year had blown her cover.
This time she was seen as a potential top five finisher.
By the time Steyn had moved through the field on Chapman’s Peak after a conservative start and taken the race lead from Dominika Stelmach near the top of Constantia Nek, her place in Two Oceans history was secure. She went on to record her first victory in an impressive 3:39:31.
In 2019, Steyn’s true potential as a world ultra-marathon great was properly unveiled for all to see at the 2019 “World’s Most Beautiful Marathon”.
Steyn crossed the Two Oceans finish line in 3:31:29, just 54 secs short of Frith van der Merwe’s 30-year record.
It was the apparent ease with which she did so which signalled that Frith’s remarkable Two Oceans record was on borrowed time. Covid-19 delayed the inevitable, but Easter Saturday in 2022 finally arrived.
Steyn clearly meant business and the playfulness of her win three years earlier was replaced by a steely professionalism as Steyn scorched through halfway in 1:42:40.
Incredibly, Steyn still trailed in 4th place and faced the battle of her life as she overcame a strong Ethiopian challenge and finally that of a fired-up Irvette van Zyl to win the greatest women’s race at the Two Oceans, smashing through the 3hr 30min ceiling in style to win in 3:29:42. It was bitter-sweet for Steyn’s 2021 – and likely 2024 – Olympic teammate, Van Zyl, who also dipped under Van der Merwe’s mark (by 5 secs) but had to be content with the runner-up medal.
Last year, saw Steyn “bring in the cavalry” as her family turned out in force in support. She again improved the record, shaving a further 36 secs and holding off the strongest Ethiopian contingent plus top South African ultra-marathoners in Adele Broodryk and Carla Molinaro to cross the line in 3:29:06.
True to her promise, Steyn plans to be at the start next weekend in a quest for an unprecedented five wins in successive starts while, like fellow-Olympian Stephen Mokoka, using the Two Oceans as a vital part of her preparation for the Paris Olympics in August.
Steyn spoke about Phantane, the club she joined early last year. “It’s been an honour to represent Phantane for the past year and I look forward to continuing with them, hopefully for many years to come. I’m looking forward to catching up with the team in Cape Town and seeing the club continue to grow in the years to come, led by our club captain, Mdu Khumalo.
And I look forward to running in the green and gold in the future,” she said.
Phantane founder and club captain Mdu Khumalo said the Totalsports Two Oceans is important for Steyn and the club.
“Gerda has had a massive impact on the club – the standard of running has gone to another level.
“She has inspired many of our athletes – especially the women. Nwabisa Mjoli (who represented South Africa at the World Trail Championships in Austria last year and at the African Games in Ghana) has been hugely helped by Gerda. Watch out for her at the Two Oceans Half Marathon,” Khumalo said.
Cape Times