Gerda Steyn ran another perfect race to claim the fifth Comrades crown of her career, crossing the line in 5hr 45min 02sec to beat her own best time for the up run.Steyn had company deep into the race in the form of Zimbabwean Nobukhosi Tshuma but with about 20km to go went it alone. The 36-year-old Hollywood club star, the champion in 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025, flashed her trademark smile as she pushed towards the finish line at the Scottsville racecourse in Pietermaritzburg. Steyn’s time was substantially faster than the 5:49:46 she clocked in the last up run in 2024. It also wasn’t far off her down run best time of 5:44:54.Tshuma gritted it out to finish second in a time of 5:53:36, and Irvette van Zyl, Steyn’s Hollywood teammate, was third in a time of 6:02:30.