Dijana and Steyn rule at Comrades

Tete Dijana ran a masterclass tactical race to hold off Dutchman Piet Wiersma and clinch his third Comrades Marathon victory in another thrilling finish in Durban on Sunday, while Gerda Steyn collected a fourth title in the women’s race.

Wiersma made a late charge but could not replicate the sprint finish of 2023 as Dijana won in an unconfirmed time of 5hr 25min 28sec. Wiersma was 5sec back.

Exhausted Russian runner Nikolai Volkov (5:29:42) came from nowhere to finish third in his second Comrades, holding off 2019 up-run victor Edward Mothibi in fourth (5:31:41).

The 2025 race was run over 89.98km, about 2km longer than the last down run in 2023, won by Dijana because of a finish at the People’s Park outside the  Moses Mabhida Stadium due to renovations to the 2010 Fifa World Cup venue.

In the 2023 down run, Dijana held Wiersma off in a sprint finish by just 3sec as he won, breaking David Gatebe’s down record.

In 2024’s up run, Wiersma, toughened as he has been this year by a Spartan-condition pre-race camp in the Kenyan mountains, won his first Comrades as Dijana walked to the end with cramps in 14th place. 

Dijana, though, is showing he is the master tactician of the down run.

He timed his charge perfectly from just after Pinetown and Cowies Hill and this time Wiersma, keeping in sight, could not keep up in the run into Durban.

Approaching the final kilometre, Wiersma made his challenge, surging and closing the gap to within 100m.

But Dijana held him off and broke the tape.

He added his third win in the race and down run after victories in successive races from Pietermaritzburg to Durban in 2022 and 2023.

Steyn laboured more than in previous victories but continued her dominance of SA ultra-marathon running and the Comrades Marathon, clinching her fourth win.

At one stage near the end of the 98th Comrades, the gap between Steyn and second-placed Aleksandra Morozova of Russia was less than 3min  approaching the finish.

Steyn dug deep and ran into the People’s Park finishing strongly to take the win in 5hr 51min 19sec, well off her 5:44.54 in her win in the last down run in 2023.

The 2025 race would always have slower times, given the longer distance; Steyn did grimace and show unusual signs of strain in the last 10km coming into Durban.

The women’s race best time record-holder added to her wins in 2019, 2023 and 2024.

Morozova — who cramped and walked just after the halfway stage, recuperated for a period and then ended strongly to apply pressure on Steyn — finishing just 4min later in 5:55:56.

Shelmith Muriuki of Kenya was third in 6:07:56, Irvette van Zyl fourth (6:11:35) and Dominika Stelmach of Poland placed fifth (6:12:02).

Steyn took the lead from first-half leader Elizabeth Mukoloma of Zambia just past halfway in the Thousand Hills. 

She has been almost superhuman in her dominance of the Comrades and Two Oceans ultras in the last half-decade that it was surprising to see Steyn having to call on her reserves in the last 15km.

Stelmach passed Mukoloma to move into third just before 3:30:00, approaching Hillcrest, and seemed to be threatening then-battling Morozova in second place.

However, the Russian regrouped and made ground on Steyn, as Muriuki and Van Zyl passed Stelmach for strong finishes.