Gerda Steyn showed ruthless efficiency on her way to securing a fifth successive Comrades Marathon crown. Photo: Backpagepix
After trying to keep up with Gerda Steyn on her romp to a fifth successive Comrades Marathon title from the back of an open truck, it is easy to feel sorry for the rivals of South Africa's undisputed ultramarathon queen.
Even the media truck struggled to keep pace with the 'Smiling Assassin', who seemed to feed off the adulation of screaming fans lining the route, yet never broke stride. Even comfort breaks were a perilous business.
At one stage we raced ahead of the leading women, convinced we had plenty of time to stretch our legs, only to scramble back aboard when the purple-clad runner quickly came into view. The relentless pace barely seemed human. More than once we had to accelerate after underestimating just how quickly she was covering the ground.
For a long while it looked as though Steyn would be pushed hard as she ran in a group that included eventual runner-up Nobukhosi Tshuma. But with about 26km remaining, the pair disappeared around a bend and when they came back into view it was only Gerda, her challengers already fading into the distance.
