Gerda Steyn and Tete Dijana Break Comrades Course Records

By RIËL HAUMAN for Race Results Weekly
(c) 2023 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

(11-Jun) — The remarkable Gerda Steyn added another accolade to her already impressive list of performances when she ran unchallenged to the finish of the Comrades Marathon in the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban and erased Frith van der Merwe’s 34-year-old “down” run record of 5:54:43 with a scintillating 5:44:54.

The men’s record also fell to defending champion Tete Dijana, who broke David Gatebe’s 5:18:19 in 2016 with his 5:13:58. The first three men –Dijana was followed by Piet Wiersma (NED) and 2019 champion Edward Mothibi– were all faster than the record. The last time both records fell in the same race was in the 1988 “up” run when Bruce Fordyce and Van der Merwe were the champions.

Steyn can now boast the following landmark achievements:

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– She holds the South African marathon record with 2:25:28.
– She has won the Two Oceans ultramarathon four times in a row –the only athlete, male or female, to do this.
– In the 2022 Two Oceans she broke Frith van der Merwe’s 33 year-old record with her 3:29:42, and this year she was even faster, winning in 3:29:06.
– She is one of only four women who have won the Two Oceans and Comrades in the same year.
– In 2019 she became the first woman to complete the “up” Comrades in less than six hours, winning in 5:58:53. Her victory margin was 18 min 47 seconds, the biggest since the race became an international event.
– In 2021 she won the SA marathon title in 2:26:25 –the fastest ever in the Championships.
– She is now one of only two runners –Van der Merwe is the other– who have held the Two Oceans and Comrades records at the same time.
– She is the fourth woman –Lettie van Zyl, Isavel Roche-Kelly and Van der Merwe are the others– who has held the Comrades down and up records at the same time.

To put her and Dijana’s new records in perspective, it should be remembered that this year’s race was one of the shortest ever at 87.7 km. Steyn’s time works out at 3:56 per kilometer, slightly faster than Van der Merwe’s 3:57.5/km over 89.6 km. Dijana’s pace was 3:35/km, one second slower than Gatebe’s over 89.2 km in 2016.

The race was also noteworthy for two other “records”: Adele Broodryk was second in 5:56:26 to mark the first occasion that two women ran under 6 hours. And it was the first time ever that all ten male gold medalists broke 5:30.

The women’s race started at a cracking pace, with Steyn joined at the front by Carla Molinaro, who was second in the Two Oceans over Easter, and Zimbabwean Loveness Madziva. After 15 minutes, still in pre-dawn darkness, Molinaro pulled away from Steyn and Madziva. Twenty minutes later Steyn joined her, but soon took the lead, never to be pressured again.

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After two hours of running Steyn was 65 seconds ahead, with Broodryk 4:20 behind in third –the position she finished in her debut last year. Steyn reached the halfway mark at Drummond in 2:54:55, Molinaro went through in 2:56:50 and Broodryk, who ran four ultramarathons and a standard marathon in her preparation, in 3:00:10.

Steyn steadily increased her lead, with Dominika Stelmach (POL), last year’s second placer, more than 8 minutes behind and defending champion Alexandra Morozova (RUS) 11 minutes in arrears.

Broodryk, who started much more conservatively than in 2022, passed Molinaro at 4:40 on the clock to move into second, but she was 8:27 behind the leader. Steyn, as usual surrounded by men, couldn’t have looked more comfortable, continuing to smile and wave at the spectators lining the road. Behind her the order of the next three did not change, but further back Caitriona Jennings (IRL) moved into fifth and Morozova passed several runners to finish sixth.

The top ten were rounded out by 2022 SA marathon champion Jenet Mbhele in her debut. In contrast to the men’s race, where the South Africans dominated, Steyn, Broodryk, Molinaro (who missed the 6-hour mark by 23 seconds) and Mbhele were the only SA women in the top ten.

Steyn, who ran the final lap in the stadium high-fiving the spectators as she passed them –and then turned around, ran back the way she came and did it again– was exhilarated. “It has been the best day of my life,” she said. Both she and Dijana won a total of ZAR 1.2 million for their efforts.

Ayanda Ngcobo did not start as outrageously fast as Onallena Khonkhobe did last year, but at halfway in 2:36:19 he did have a solid lead over the Lesotho pair of Lebello Mopenyane and Teboho Noosi. A large group, including all the main contenders as well as Russian Aleksei Beresnev, Wiersma and Japan’s Jo Fukuda, was 4:53 behind.


On the climb out of Drummond Beresnev and Fukuda, very noticeable with his trademark blue-dyed hair, went past the Lesotho runners and started chasing the leader. Ngcobo was paying for his fast start, and just before 3 hours he started walking, pulled off his vest, then put it back on and continued walking. His race was over, however, and at 3:02:45 Fukuda, who won the Gold Coast Marathon last year in 2:10:55, went into the lead.

Twenty minutes later, as the real racing was about to start, the chasing group broke up, with Beresnev and Wiersma, more than two minutes behind the leader, taking charge. Not long afterwards Mothibi, Dijana and Wiersma surged away and on the steep descent down Field’s Hill, with 26 km to go, they passed the struggling Japanese (he would finish 20th).

Just after the 4-hour mark Dijana, Mothibi and an impassive Wiersma, who was third in the IAU World 100 km Championships last year in 6:18:47, tested one another with a couple of surges. The two South Africans soon pulled away and on Cowie’s Hill, the last big climb on the outskirts of Durban, Dijana shook off Mothibi, who was second last year. It looked like a South African one-two at the finish, but the Dutchman was far from done and at 4:33 he passed Mothibi.

With 6 km to go, Wiersma, in his first Comrades, was 47 seconds behind and closing. Dijana seemed unfocused and looked behind him continuously, even though he was unable to see his pursuer, twisting his whole upper body every time and losing precious rhythm. Wiersma cut the gap with every stride as they ran through the streets of Durban and when they reached the grass inside the stadium he was just metres behind.

But then Dijana, who won the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50 km in February in 2:39:04, faster than Stephen Mokoka’s official world record, seemed to become aware of the danger he was in and started sprinting. In one of the closest finishes in Comrades history, he crossed the finish line jubilantly, three seconds ahead of a clearly disappointed Wiersma, who in his post-race interview admitted that he had started his final push too late. “Next year I will try to win. I should have sprinted earlier,” he said.

Almost six hours behind Dijana, a very special runner, Barry Holland, earned an unprecedented 49th consecutive medal in 10:58:14. And nearly another hour later Louis Massyn won his 48th medal in 11:41:33.

WOMEN (gun times) –
1. Gerda STEYN, 5:44:54 ER* ZAR 500,000 + 500,000* + 200,000s (=USD 72,000 total)
2. Adele BROODRYK, 5:56:26 250,000
3. Carla MOLINARO, 6:00:23 180,000
4. Dominika STELMACH (POL, 40+), 6:06:02 90,000
5. Caitriona JENNINGS (IRL, 40+), 6:10:27 70,000
6. Alexandra MOROZOVA (RUS), 6:14:33 40,000
7. Petra PASTOROVA (CZE, 40+), 6:22:34 35,000
8. Noora HONKALA (FIN), 6:25:00 30,000
9. Camille CHAIGNEAU (FRA), 6:26:58 25,000
10. Jenet MBHELE, 6:27:14 20,000 + 60,000k
11. Galaletsang MEKGOE, 6:31:19
12. Radka CHURANOVA (CZE, 40+), 6:31:58
13. Deanne LAUBSCHER, 6:36:56
14. Diana DZAVIZA (AUT), 6:37:57
15. Ann ASHWORTH, 6:42:14
16. Yolande MACLEAN (40+), 6:45:43
17. Annerie WOODING (40+), 6:48:58
18. Lizzy BABILI, 6:50:16
19. Fikile MBUTHUMA (40+), 6:50:19
20. Izabella BORISOVA (RUS), 6:51:40
21. Melissah GIBSON (GBR), 6:51:49
22. Kate REES (40+), 6:52:42
23. Jeannie HENDERSON (40+), 6:53:25
24. Helene VAN ROOYEN (40+), 6:57:42
25. Maretha SMIT, 6:57:56
26. Antoinette KYRIACOU (GBR), 7:01:01
27. Abby SOLMS, 7:01:42
28. Lethokuhle LETSOALO (40+), 7:02:24
29. Lene SWART, 7:02:52
30. Renata VOSLOO, 7:04:21
…
138. Caroline POONAN (IRL), 8:23:56
DNF–Charné BOSMAN, Helena JOUBERT

40-49:
1. Stelmach, above, 6:06:02 ZAR 20,000
2. Jennings, above, 6:10:27 12,000
3. Pastorova, above, 6:22:34 6,000
50-59:
1. Karen Sobrino 7:23:29 ZAR 12,000
2. Maria Claudia Ferreira Souto (BRA) 7:45:23 6,000
3. Ran Liu (USA) 7:58:07 4,000
60+:
1. Malie van der Walt 8:42:38 ZAR 6,000
2. Irene Wisdom 8:52:08 4,000
3. Rita van Wyk 8:59:22 3,000
*Event record/ZAR 500,000 bonus; previous 5:54:43, Frith van der Merwe, 1989
s = incentive as first South African
k = incentive as first runner from Kwazulu-Natal province

MEN (gun times) –
1. Tete DIJANA, 5:13:58 ER* ZAR 500,000 + 500,000* + 200,000s (=USD 72,000 total)
2. Piet WIERSMA (NED), 5:14:01 250,000
3. Edward MOTHIBI, 5:17:34 180,000
4. Gordon LESETEDI, 5:20:43 90,000
5. Rufus PHOTO (40+), 5:21:48 70,000
6. Johannes MAKGETLA (40+), 5:23:34 40,000
7. Teboho SELLO (LES, 40+), 5:24:23 35,000
8. Aleksei BERESNEV (RUS), 5:24:41 30,000
9. Gift KELEHE (40+), 5:27:53 25,000
10. Joseph MANYEDI (40+), 5:29:49 20,000
11. Sikhumbuzo SEME, 5:30:05 60,000k
12. Nkosikhona MHLAKWANA, 5:30:35
13. David GATEBE (40+), 5:30:50
14. Laurindo NUNES NETO (BRA), 5:31:29
15. Alex MILNE (GBR), 5:31:35
16. Bongmusa MTHEMBU, 5:32:11
17. Zukile VELLEM, 5:36:14
18. Sanele SIBISI, 5:37:13
19. Elov OLSSON (SWE), 5:38:05
20. Jo FUKUDA (JPN), 5:39:14
21. Siyabonga MAFULEKA, 5:39:55
22. Malusi DLOMO, 5:40:29
23. Bafana GUMEDE, 5:40:36
24. Mpho MOKOENA, 5:40:38
25. Proud CHAUKE, 5:41:52
26. Wayne SPIES (AUS, 50+), 5:42:01
27. Robert Michael SIMPSON (IRL), 5:42:21
28. Thobani CHAGWE, 5:43:27
29. Thokozani MBAMBO, 5:44:23
30. Ntakuseni MUDAU, 5:45:03
…
33. Mabuthile LEBOPO (LES, 40+), 5:47:07
…
41. Prodigal KHUMALO (ZIM, 40+), 5:51:20
42. Mahlomola SEKHONAYANA, 5:51:41
…
47. Mike FOKORONI (ZIM, 40+), 5:54:10
…
56. Onalenna KHONKHOBE, 5:59:08
…
111. Lebello MOPENYANE (LES), 6:21:49
…
138. Ludwick MAMABOLO (40+), 6:30:04
…
148. Lebenya NKOKA (LES, 40+), 6:33:47
DNF–Teboho NOOSI (LES), Dan MATSHAILWE, Ayanda NGCOBO

40-49:
1. Photo, above, 5:21:48 ZAR 20,000
2. Makgetla, above, 5:23:34 12,000
3. Sello, above, 5:24:23 6,000
50-59:
1. Spies, above, 5:42:01 ZAR 12,000
2. Oleg Kharitonov (RUS) 6:15:52 6,000 [2006 winner]
3. Jabulani Mabaso 6:18:32 4,000
60+:
1. Ndabezinhle Ndlovu 7:11:29 ZAR 6,000
2. Jabulani Gamede 7:13:16 4,000
3. Thopane Mokolo 7:27:23 3,000
*Event record/ZAR 500,000 bonus; previous 5:18:19, David Gatebe, 2016
s = incentive as first South African
k = incentive as first runner from Kwazulu-Natal province

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