The road from Durban to Pietermaritzburg has humbled champions, swallowed dreams and chewed through the bravado of many a bold prediction. On Sunday, it may once again become the stage on which Gerda Steyn conducts her own symphony of suffering with the precision of a master maestro.
The Hollywood Athletics Club superstar heads into the 2026 Comrades Marathon carrying four titles, a reputation carved into granite and the quiet confidence of an athlete who has made excellence look almost suspiciously routine.
Yet there is nothing routine about the woman widely regarded as the queen of ultra-distance running.
“I can’t believe we are here again. It feels like yesterday that we were lining up for the down run of 2025,” Steyn said during an exclusive interview.
“I’m very excited to line up this year. The training has gone really well. The Up Run is my favourite direction. I’m really excited, so I can’t wait for Sunday.”
Her affection for the climb is deeply personal and deeply practical.
“I think the Up Run suits me as a type of athlete that I am. It is a lot to do with pacing yourself well, conserving your energy in the first half and running smart. You need a lot of strength to compete well in the Up Run.”
Her first Comrades was an Up Run, the race that sparked a remarkable love affair with South Africa’s greatest endurance spectacle.
Preparation has followed a familiar script, polished through years of success. Following the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, Steyn again escaped to the Alps, trading noise for narrow mountain roads and uninterrupted focus.
“It is a very quiet little town tucked away and I can focus 100% on running. You either go steep up or steep down and I feel that really complements the training.”
This year she returned to South Africa earlier than usual, settling into familiar surroundings in Dullstroom before sharing valuable kilometres with Hollywood teammates Tete Dijana, Tetelo Motsoeneng, Edward Mothibi, Johannes Makgetla and the club’s famously cheerful ‘Happy Bunch’ training group.
“They are such a positive group. They’ve got such a wonderful dynamic and are an absolute delight to be around. It was a wonderful way to wind down the training and line up with excitement.”
Every Comrades conversation eventually circles back to records, especially with a marginally shorter route on offer. The temptation to chase the clock hangs over the race like a mischievous spectator leaning over the barriers.
Steyn refuses to bite.
“My first goal is really to defend my title. If that comes with a record and I feel good on the day and everything goes according to plan, I’m sure it is possible.”
She believes there may even be room for improvement compared with her celebrated 2024 performance.
“I think there’s room for it. Everything has to go according to plan and I mustn’t focus on the record so much that I forget to focus.”
It is the philosophy that has turned discipline into dominance and patience into podiums.
The stopwatch may scream. The crowds may roar. Records may tremble like nervous spectators clutching coffee cups on Polly Shortts.
Steyn’s eyes, though, remain fixed on something far simpler.
Run smart.
Run strong.
Run her race.
History has often struggled to keep pace.
