In the cool, crisp air of Hamburg, Germany, Elroy Gelant did not just run the race of his life, he etched his name in history by setting a new South African Marathon record.
Whilst the Rainbow Nation celebrated Freedom Day on Sunday, 27 April, the veteran South African running sensation ran a blistering time of 2:05:36.
The 38-year-old shattered the 26-year-old SA record of 2:06:33 previously held by Gert Thys set in 1999 at the Tokyo International Marathon — a mark long considered untouchable.
Trailing behind Kenyan star Amos Kipruto — who won the 2025 Hamburg Marathon in 2:03:46 — Gelant’s fourth-place finish left a seismic mark on South African athletics.
It was a performance forged in heartbreak, redemption, and a moment of clarity that had a profound impact in resurrecting his career.
“To be honest, this was more than just a race for me,” Gelant said, breathless but beaming at the finish line.
“This was a reminder that we are not defined by where we are in life, but by how we choose to respond.”
A few years ago, Gelant’s career was all but over.
After years of grinding at the elite level — including Olympic appearances and national titles — he hit a wall in late 2022. Burnt out and disillusioned, he stepped away from competitive running. The spark was gone, the body heavier, the willpower depleted.
“I had a real boep,” Gelant joked later, referencing his once-protruding belly.
“I thought that was it.”
He’d quietly slipped into what he imagined would be retirement. But fate had one last surprise.
While visiting his hometown, Pacaltsdorp — a humble suburb near George in the Western Cape — he popped into a local shop. Outside, he was stopped by someone from his past: a former gangster, just released from prison.
“He said, ‘Elroy, I got out of jail yesterday, and you know what inspiration you mean for our community,’” Gelant recalled.
“That moment hit me hard. I was ready to tell my agent I was done. But right there, everything changed.”
It was more than just a compliment. It was a call.
Running With Purpose
Elroy Gelant used the ABSA RUN YOUR CITY SERIES of 10km races to improve his speed. Photo: Adnaan Mohamed
That unexpected encounter stirred something deep in Gelant. In the weeks that followed, he slowly returned to training — not for personal glory, but with a renewed sense of purpose.
His resurgence gathered steam through 2024, culminating in an 11th-place finish at the Paris Olympics. A result few predicted, but one that signalled: he was back.
Elroy Gelant at the Olympic village in Paris in 2024.
Then came Hamburg.
Every step of the 42.195 kilometers seemed charged — with sacrifice, memory, and resolve. Crossing the finish line, Elroy Gelant became the fastest South African marathoner in history. And in doing so, qualified for the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Gelant knows he stands on the shoulders of giants.
“I carry their legacies with me,” he said, referencing South African marathon icons like Josia Thugwane, Hendrick Ramaala, and Zithulele Sinqe.
“But I also want to show the next generation that it’s never too late. This record is not just mine — it belongs to everyone who has ever felt forgotten or counted out.”
He is, in many ways, a symbol of something larger: a rebuke to a culture obsessed with youthful peaks and early bloomers. Gelant’s renaissance is a story of endurance — not just of the body, but of the soul.
“Maybe I needed to lose running to find what it really meant to me,” he reflected.
“Now, I run with joy. I run for community. And I run because I still believe there’s more in me.”
Elroy Gelant is more than an athlete. He’s a lecturer, a mentor, and now, a record-breaker whose best chapters may still lie ahead.
As the world prepares for Tokyo and beyond, South Africa has found not only a champion — but a storyteller in motion.
Because sometimes, the most remarkable stories aren’t the ones that begin with talent — but the ones that refuse to end when the world expects them to.
