Gerda Steyn is swapping ultra-marathon endurance for 10km urgency when she makes her Free State racing debut at the inaugural Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K on Sunday, 25 October.
For a runner who has conquered seven Totalsports TWO OCEANS ULTRA MARATHONS and five Comrades Marathons, the 10km may look like a sprint in comparison. In Steyn’s world, however, the shorter road race is a sharp-edged training tool, a speed laboratory and, potentially, a homecoming with a sting in the tail.
“The Free State is where I grew up and also where I went to university. Being part of this first Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K feels like a homecoming, a full-circle moment because I’ve never actually raced in the Free State or the Northern Cape,” says Steyn.
“I’m sure I will recognise every corner and every turn. Racing a 10km also exposes me to a different side of the running community because I get to meet different people and new faces that I don’t get to meet at the marathons and the ultra-marathons. It’s very, very special indeed.”
The seven-time Two Oceans champion already knows the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series well. She raced at the inaugural Tshwane 10K in 2023 and has watched the series grow from its Cape Town launch in 2015 into a six-city road-running machine that attracted more than 50 000 runners nationally last year.
“I think from the start the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series has had such a wonderful reputation for bringing mass participation and world-class elite-level performances to the heart of South Africa’s urban spaces,” she says.
“Every runner can attest to the fact that the experience, from entering the race to finishing the race, is always so pleasant, which is why we have seen its tremendous growth. So it comes as no surprise that the Absa RUN YOUR CITY MANGAUNG 10K brings another level of excitement to the Free State.”
Steyn’s 32:24 personal best dates back to 2020, but her current mission is is about sharpening the blades after another brutal marathon and ultra-marathon campaign.
“I always find that stepping down from the ultra-marathon and marathon distance to race a 10km is very beneficial,” she says.
“After success at the Totalsports TWO OCEANS ULTRA MARATHON and Comrades Marathons this year, I’ve had time to recover and I’m back on the road again, working on my speed.”
Her warning is simple: 10km racing leaves little oxygen for hesitation.
“There’s no room for mistakes. You have to be ready to go from the gun, which forces me to stay sharp and keep focusing on the speed side of my training.”
Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Series Founder, believes Steyn’s presence gives the inaugural Mangaung race extra significance.
“Gerda has such a strong connection to the Free State, so to have her return to race here for the first time makes this a particularly special moment,” says Meyer.
“For us, bringing the Series to Mangaung is about creating opportunities for runners in the region to experience the excitement of mass participation road running and to see elite athletes competing at the highest level on their doorstep.”
The starting gun fires at 07:00 from Grey College, with the finish on Kings Way in Bloemfontein.
For Steyn, the road home could become a runway for speed.
Websites: www.runyourcityseries.com
