GERDA Steyn lavished Glenrose Xaba with praise for deposing her as the national marathon record holder, but almost in the same breath intimated she will be going out to reclaim the mark this year.
Speaking at her unveiling as a member of the Hollywood Athletics Club in Durban on Wednesday, Steyn declared that her goal for the 2025 campaign will be to retain both her Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon titles.
Those are almost guaranteed victories though, the athlete fondly referred to as “The Smiling Assassin” having no equal in the ultra-marathon distances.
She holds the records for both Two Oceans and Comrades, Steyn having run the best times for both the Up and Down runs of the world famous ultra of about 90km in KwaZulu-Natal.
The marathon is not a distance she specialises in, the fact she previously held the national record in the standard marathon notwithstanding.
She ran that 2:24:03, but then Xaba deposed her at the Cape Town Marathon with her stellar 2:22:22 on marathon debut.
🌟 Welcome to the Purple Family, Gerda Steyn! 🌟
She’s not just a runner; she’s a record-breaker and a game-changer. 🏃♀️✨
From dominating the Comrades to conquering the Two Oceans, Gerda embodies the spirit of excellence. 💜
Join us in celebrating this legendary addition to… pic.twitter.com/EHcXUqsD7u
“I think everybody witnessed Glenrose grow, and become a stronger and stronger athlete,” Steyn said on Wednesday.
“She’s proven herself in every single distance – from five kilometres to the half marathon and now the marathon.
“Also, the Cape Town Marathon was a really difficult race.
“The weather conditions were tough, but she showed real character and she battled through, and she ran an amazing race with an amazing time.
“So, I think she deserved it 100 percent.”
Steyn likes that the competition in women’s road running is growing.
“It is exciting for me to see talent coming through and more runners taking on the challenge of the marathon,” she said.
“And it was good to see her forgetting about the barriers being set in the past and just obliterating the record.
“So, it is exciting and makes me want to bring out even more in myself, and it motivates me even more to try and aim for a faster time.
“That’s what sport is about; that is the beauty of it: we all are striving to get the best out of ourselves.
“So, to see an athlete succeed (like Glenrose has) is really special.”
Complimentary as she was, Steyn wants her record back: “I’d love to get the record back. I held the record since 2021, and last year, it was broken.
“I would like to keep the record for a little bit longer than the three years.
“So, I will be doing my utmost best and everything that I can to get the record back. But I can’t say yet where and when it will be, but 100 percent, that is what I am going to try.”
𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗬𝗡 👑🇿🇦
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 11, 2023
Two Oceans Marathon ✅
Comrades Marathon ✅
Gerda smashes the Comrades down run record in 05:44:56! 💥
📺 Stream #Comrades2023 live: https://t.co/ACEUH7ePOB pic.twitter.com/dXPQNhCXpQ
And with the backing of her new club, where she has teammates such as Irvette van Zyl, Loveness Madziva, Carla Molinaro and Tyla Kavanagh, Steyn will be in a good place to try and reclaim her marathon record.
“I am not 100 percent sure about the plans I have for the end of the year,” she said.
“I always like to do the marathon at the end of the year – November or December.
“So, I will have to see what my shape is, but of course, that is something I would love to do.”
Steyn expressed her delight at joining Hollywood Athletics Club.
“It’s such an honour for me to join the purple team, and already it feels like they’ve just embraced me and made me part of their family in purple.
“It’s really exciting for the year ahead, and I hope to elevate the team on the athletics front, but to also encourage the runners to join the club.
“They are so passionate about the sport and the excitement in the thousands of members that they’ve got.” | Independent Media Sport