Gerda Steyn treated her historic fifth Comrades Marathon charge like her final race, banking a record R2.322 million payout in the process. Photo: Backpagepix
Gerda Steyn revealed that adopting a "run it like it's my last race" mentality helped drive her to a fifth successive Comrades Marathon title and a record-breaking payday on Sunday.
The South African ultra-marathon queen stormed to victory in 5:44:53, shattering her own Up Run record and securing a haul of at least R2.322 million after collecting the winner's prize, first South African bonus, and incentives for the fastest Up Run time and average pace.
Speaking after her latest triumph, Steyn said the performance was the culmination of months of planning and preparation.
"It's an honour for me to sit here again today and to come away with a new course record. It's what I've been working for and what I've been dreaming about since the start of the year — actually since the last time I ran Comrades," she said.
