Steyn chases her fifth Two Oceans win in a row

Few outside her family and friends had heard of Gerda Steyn when she first lined up for the Two Oceans Marathon in April 2016.

Steyn will line up at the start in Newlands, Cape Town, early on Saturday seeking her fifth Two Oceans win in a row.

Her relative anonymity eight years ago was hardly surprising as her 8hr 19min for 56th position in her Comrades Marathon debut 10 months before, impressive as it was on just seven months’ training, had not commanded media attention.

Her 4hr 15min debut at the Two Oceans was not far outside gold medal territory and might have alerted keen observers of the sport to the then 27-year-old Dubai-based quantity surveyor being a serious crown contender. However Steyn’s finish about 30min behind winner Caroline Wöstmann went mostly unnoticed.

By the time Steyn raced again in 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 she 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 finish line in 3:31:29, just 54sec short of Frith van der Merwe’s 30-year-old record.

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the inevitable. On Easter Saturday 2022 the playfulness of Steyn’s win three years earlier was replaced by a steely professionalism as she scorched through halfway in 1:42:40.

Incredibly, she still trailed in fourth place and faced a fierce battle 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 3:30 ceiling to win in 3:29:42.

It was bittersweet for Steyn’s 2021, and likely 2024, Olympic teammate Van Zyl, who also dipped under Van der Merwe’s mark by 5sec but had to be content with the runners-up medal.

Last year Steyn again improved the record, shaving off a further 36sec and holding off the strongest Ethiopian contingent plus top SA ultramarathoners Adele Broodryk and Carla Molinaro to cross in 3:29:06.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so emotional at the finish,” Steyn said then. “My whole family was here to welcome me. I love this race and will be back next year and hopefully for many years to come.”

True to her promise, she will start on Saturday on a quest for an unprecedented five wins in succession. Like fellow Olympian Stephen Mokoka, she will use the Two Oceans as part of her preparation for the Paris Olympics in July and August.

Typically, Steyn, was more inclined to talk about Phantane, the club she joined early in 2023, rather than about her own hopes and expectations for the race.

“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,” she said. 

“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 wonderful club captain Mdu Khumalo.”

Strong support from family, friends, her club and her professional team have been at the heart of Steyn’s success and all will be in her corner during her big target races at the Two Oceans and the Paris Olympics.

Her recent successes at the Vaal Marathon and the Om Die Dam 50km, both in record time (2:43:50 and 3:16:16) suggest she is peaking at the right time and is on target for more marathon success in another stellar year.