| Intro | South African ultra marathon athlete |
| Is | Athlete |
| From | South Africa |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | female |
| Birth |
3 March 1990, Bothaville, South Africa |
| Age | 30 years |
| Star sign | Pisces |
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.
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. After completing her first Comrades in 2015, she met 1991 winner Nick Bester 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.
She also won the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon in a time of 3:31:28.
Her best time for a standard marathon was 2:27:48, achieved in 2019 in the New York City Marathon.
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 | |
| 2019 | Two Oceans | Cape Town | 1st | 3:31:28 |
| Comrades | Durban | 1st | 5:58:53 | |
| New York Marathon | New York | 11th | 2:27:48 |