Marathon and ultra-marathon athlete Gerda Steyn set the Comrades Marathon up-run record last year with a mark of 5:58:53, becoming the first woman to finish the race in under six hours.
She won the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon last year in an impressive time of 3:31:28, and achieved her best time for a standard marathon in last year’s New York City Marathon achieving a time of 3:31:28.
You are given the choice to come up against any runner in a marathon. Who do you choose?
I would choose to go back in time and run next to Paula Radcliffe when she broke the women’s world record for the marathon in London in 2003!.
How have you been keeping fit during the lockdown?
I have been staying fit by using everything I had at my disposal. We had a three-weeks intense lockdown period in Dubai where we were not allowed to leave our homes, so I used my indoor turbo trainer bike to replace running. I also swaopped the gym for home exercise training and stair climbing so I managed to keep fit. It was a great day when we woke up to the news that we were allowed to go out for exercise again, and since then I have been running and training, all in moderation. I have been doing some fun bike riding with a small group of friends which has kept me motivated and excited to get back to racing!.
What are the three most popular items in Gerda’s fridge right now?
Bananas (for smoothies), Aa cold Bavaria (non-alcoholic beer), and hummus dip with raw veggies.
If Gerda wasn’t a professional athlete, what would she be?
Well, I used to be a quantity surveyor before becoming an athlete, but if I had to choose my second dream career option, I’d say being the host for organized summer training camps in the mountains!!.
Your celebrity crush growing up was?
Enrique Iglesias! I used to have his posters on my walls and listened to his music so much – I could sing along even to his Spanish lyrics!!
Your dream destination to run a marathon is?
London!. Paris!. Berlin!. Boston!. Athens!. Amsterdam!… The list goes on and on!.
You can only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what do you choose?
“Braaivleis” and roasted veggies.
Is it true that six-packs are made in the kitchen?
I’d say that half of that six-pack is made in the kitchen, but it doesn’t work if you don’t combine it with a bit of sweat in the gym.
Could you tell us a little bit about your worst date?
Ha ha! It’s probably the one I can’t remember much about… !
What is the biggest misconception people have of Gerda Steyn?
I think that many people see athletes only when they are performing well and perhaps remember them for crossing the finish line still looking fresher than their competitors, despite winning the race. The reality of everyday hard work doesn’t show on that day, and is often a much different picture. Having a talent is not enough.
It takes years of hard work and a lot of sacrifices to get one day of victory. But it’s a choice I make over and over because when you do get to win the race or reach your goal time, you realise that it was worth every minute of it.