Gerda Steyn
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Gerda Steyn |
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | 3 March 1990 Bothaville, Free State, South Africa |
| Education | University of the Free State |
| Occupation | long-distance runner |
| Years active | 2014-present |
| Sport | |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Marathon, Ultramarathon |
| Club | Nedbank Running Club |
| Coached by | Nick Bester |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) |
|
Gerda Steyn (born 3 March 1990) is a South African marathon and ultramarathon athlete. She set the Comrades Marathon up-run record in 2019 with a mark of 5:58:53, becoming the first woman under 6 hours for that race.
On 11 April 2021 she became the SA marathon record holder with a time of 2:25:28 at the Xiamen Tuscany Camp Elite Marathon in Siena, Italy.
Early life[]
Her parents are Pieter and Trudie Steyn. Gerda grew up on a farm in the Bothaville area and completed her schooling in 2008 at the Bothaville High School. Afterwards, she qualified as a quantity surveyor from the University of the Free State. She has a sister, Estie, and a brother, Stefan.
Career[]
In 2014 she went to work in Dubai and joined a running club, where she discovered her talent for running.[1] After completing her first Comrades in 2015, she met 1991 winner who became her coach.
Her first major career victory was in the 2018 Two Oceans Marathon, in a time of 3:39:32.
She won the 2019 up Comrades Marathon in a record time of 5 hours, 58 minutes and 53 seconds, becoming the first woman to complete the up run in under six hours.[2]
She also won the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon in a time of 3:31:28.
She competed in the women's marathon at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[3]
Her best time for a standard marathon is the SA record of 2:25:28, achieved in 2021 at the in Siena, Italy, breaking the previous 25-year old SA record by more than a minute.[4]
Results[]
| Year | Race | Place | Position | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Comrades | Durban | 56th | 8:19:08 |
| 2016 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 14th | 4:15:44 |
| Comrades | Pietermaritzburg | 14th | 7:08:23 | |
| 2017 | Comrades | Durban | 4th | 6:45:45 |
| 2018 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:39:32 |
| Comrades | Pietermaritzburg | 2nd | 6:15:34 | |
| New York Marathon | New York | 13th | 2:31:04[5] | |
| 2019 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:31:28 |
| Comrades | Durban | 1st | 5:58:53 | |
| New York Marathon | New York | 11th | 2:27:48[6] | |
| 2020 | London Marathon | London | 7th | 2:26:51[7] |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Sapporo | 15th | 2:32:10 |
References[]
- ^ "Gerda Steyn: The Tough One". Never stop running. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Andrew Dawson (June 10, 2019). "Women's Course Record Shattered at 2019 Comrades Marathon". Runner's World. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "Athletics STEYN Gerda - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". .. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ David Isaacson (April 11, 2021). "Queen Gerda Steyn breaks 25-year old SA marathon record". Times LIVE. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "New York Road Runners Official Race Results". results.nyrr.org. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "Gerda Steyn flies SA flag at London Marathon". Sport. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
Authority control  |
|---|
- Living people
- 1990 births
- South African female long-distance runners
- South African female marathon runners
- People from Lejweleputswa District Municipality
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- Olympic athletes of South Africa