Gerda Steyn set a new Up Run record at the Comrades Marathon, earning a total of R2.3m in prizemoney for her fifth overall victory.
Gerda Steyn may have approached Sunday's Comrades Marathon as though it was her last Up Run, but the South African superstar insists her remarkable journey with the race is far from over.
Just hours after storming to a fifth Comrades title in a record-breaking 5:44:53, Steyn reflected on a performance that not only reinforced her status as the queen of ultramarathon running, but also rewarded her with a payday of more than R2.3 million after claiming a host of performance bonuses. The victory came after months of singular focus, with Steyn pouring everything into her bid to improve on the Up Run record she set in 2024.
Before the race, she had spoken about treating the challenge as though it would be her final opportunity on the route from Durban up to Pietermaritzburg. Looking back afterwards, she felt she had honoured that promise.
"I definitely feel like I gave my all today," Steyn said. "The pace was really fast from the first few kilometres of the race and I just told myself that I made a promise and I'll be giving it my all, even if it takes more than 100% from me today. I wanted to come away from this race feeling proud of the effort that I put in, beyond just the time or the position that I achieved."
