Category: Comrades Marathon

The early chapters of this tale belonged to Onalenna Khonkhobe, who tore away from the starting blocks like a man possessed. He didn’t just take the lead — he stole it, opening up a staggering 13-minute gap by the halfway mark. To the untrained eye, it looked like destiny calling. To the veterans among us in the truck, it felt like a spark burning too bright, too fast.

Khonkhobe danced down Polly Shortts and surged through the Valley of a Thousand Hills with the urgency of a man chased by ghosts. But Comrades is no sprint — it’s a slow, simmering war. And as the kilometres wore on, so did gravity and time. With 17km to go, his heroic solo turned bittersweet as the green wave of Team Nedbank— Tete Dijana, Edward Mothibi, and Piet Wiersma — reeled him in like seasoned hunters stalking their prey.

It was here the men’s race transformed into an epic three-act showdown.

Dijana, calm and coiled like a spring, launched his move just as Wiersma and Mothibi threatened to strike. A tight trio, unified in team colours but divided by ambition, tore up the road in the final stretch. Wiersma, the 2024 victor, refused to yield, his stride a desperate symphony of defiance. But Dijana, once again, showed the composure of a man with a date with destiny.

“I came prepared and stuck to my race plan,” he said afterward, serenity in his eyes. “In the last 10km, I saw Piet was closing, so I accelerated and opened the gap, and I felt like I was in control.”
Five seconds separated them at the line: 5:25:27 for Dijana, 5:25:32 for Wiersma — a gap you could measure in heartbeats. Mothibi followed in fourth, his return to top form as steady and strong as a heartbeat in full stride. Nikolai Volkov stormed through late to claim third in 5:29:41, like thunder catching up to lightning.

Gerda Steyn’s Symphony of Grace

While the men’s race roared like a tempest, Gerda Steyn glided through the course with the grace of a gazelle and the mind of a chess master. Letting others set the early tempo, she bided her time — and then, when the moment came, she pounced.

By halfway, Zambian athlete Elizabeth Mukoloma had set a bold pace, but Steyn, eyes forward and legs ticking over like metronomes of discipline, took control and never looked back. Like a queen reclaiming her crown, she ran alone at the front, powerful and poised, to finish in 5:51:18 — her fourth Comrades title, a triumph of brains, brilliance and belief.

“Today was yet another wonderful experience out on the road at the Comrades Marathon,” she said, glowing with reverence.

“To see this race going from strength to strength and to be a part of it is such an honour for me. It’s really special. I set out at a more conservative pace because I really wanted to try and run my optimum race today, and it worked out well.”

Behind her, Alexandra Morozova fought cramps to claim silver in 5:55:55, while debutante Shelmith Muriuki of Kenya thrilled with a strong third-place finish in 6:07:55.

From Every Step, a Story

And from our perch on the media truck, we didn’t just see the elite. We saw the human tide — thousands flowing behind the leaders, each with a battle unfolding. We saw tears and laughter, bloodied feet and soaring spirits. We saw friends carrying friends, and strangers becoming family.

We saw Irvette van Zyl, Olympic marathoner and former world record-holder over 50km, claiming fourth in her Comrades debut. We saw Louis Massyn complete his 50th run — not just a Green Number, but a Quintuple Green milestone, never before achieved.

We felt the beat of drums and the power of dreams. We watched children on shoulders scream their hearts out. We saw **history pass us**, one footstep at a time.

A Glimpse into the Future

It was more than a race. It was a dress rehearsal for immortality , as the Comrades Marathon Association continues to build toward the centenary in 2027. The **new split start** worked flawlessly, allowing a smooth, safe, and fast flow from Pietermaritzburg’s dawn. And the *fresh finish on Masabalala Yengwa Avenue turned into a festival — People’s Park humming like a stadium on final whistle day.

“We are really happy with the way the split start worked,” said CMA General Manager Alain Dalais.

“We treated this 2025 race as a dress rehearsal for the 100th edition… and feel we are on track for an even better Down Run in 2027.”

“I would like to congratulate all the runners,” Dalais continued, “from Tete Dijana and Gerda Steyn to the final finishers in the last hour… and all the way to Louis Massyn.

”We hope that you enjoyed your race experience, and we look forward to welcoming you back to The Ultimate Human Race next year, when we once again take on the challenge of the Up Run.”

In twenty years of running Comrades, I’ve known pain that speaks in the language of lactic acid and victory that whispers from medal ribbons. But this year, I learned something new.

Watching the race unfold like a living painting, from the frontlines of the media truck, gave me a view from the soul of the Comrades Marathon itself.