Gerda Steyn and Piet Wiersma eye title defences as Comrades Marathon ‘down run’ comes into sharp focus

Onalenna Khonkhobe Elite Male winner during the 2024 Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon finishing at UCT Rugby Fields on April 13, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Peter Heeger/Gallo Images)

By Yanga Sibembe

6 Jun 2025

After months of being in the headlines for negative reasons, the Comrades Marathon will shine for what it is all about — testing human endurance. Gerda Steyn and Piet Wiersma are out to defend the titles they won in 2024.

More than a century old, the Comrades Marathon is the World Cup of road running. Stacked in history and a multitude of memorable moments that highlight just what humans can achieve with some willpower and preparation, the ultramarathon returns on Sunday, 8 June 2025.

As is tradition, the 98th iteration of “the ultimate human race” will feature runners from all walks of life, from professional runners to recreational runners. This year’s edition will be the “down run” — which will start at the City Hall in Pietermaritzburg and finish in Durban’s People’s Park. The up run heads in the opposite direction. More than 20,000 participants are expected.

Smiling Assassin

In the women’s field South Africa’s own “Smiling Assassin”, Gerda Steyn, is out to crush all competitors as she targets a fourth overall victory in the historic marathon. In addition to her win a year ago, Steyn was also victorious in 2019, then again in 2023 — when she set a new women’s record for the down run.

Two years ago, Steyn crossed the finish line in 5:44:54. In the process she obliterated Frith van der Merwe’s record (which had stood for more than three decades) by an enormous nine minutes. On the back of also winning this year’s Two Oceans Marathon Steyn is the overwhelming favourite in the women’s race — a tag she is embracing.

“When you come in as a defending champion, it comes with a certain amount of pressure. But I feel like it is the way you process that pressure (which can make or break you),” Steyn said before the race.

Gerda Steyn wins the women's 2024 Comrades Marathon. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

“I see pressure as a positive factor. I look at it as if it is nothing other than support and the belief others may have in me,” the 35-year-old added.

Though she is the clear frontrunner for Sunday’s spectacle, Steyn will be joined on the start line by fellow Olympian Irvette van Zyl. The 37-year-old is poised to make her Comrades debut, something she said had been on her bucket list for some time now.

Despite her experience in marathons the Comrades will pose a different challenge for Van Zyl, so there is no guarantee that she will actually challenge Steyn.

Competitive pool

In the men’s pool though, the competition is much tighter. Dutchman Piet Wiersma is the defending champion after his success in the up run a year ago. In 2023 Wiersma finished second behind down run record holder Tete Dijana — trailing by just three seconds.

After his disappointing 14th-place finish a year ago, as he struggled with cramps, Dijana is hungry to reclaim his title as king of the Comrades. As well as his record-breaking 5:13:58 run in 2023, North West province’s Dijana won the Comrades in 2022.

“I’m going to work hard and try to rectify what happened last year and forget about 2024,” Dijana told Top Runner. “I don’t want to express my targets. You’ll just see what’s going to happen. I know what I’m going to do.”

Tete Dijana at the finish of the Comrades in Pietermaritzburg. (Photo: Darren Stewart / Gallo Images)

Onalenna Khonkhobe at the Two Oceans finish at UCT Rugby Fields on 13 April 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo: Peter Heeger / Gallo Images)

“People get jealous when I say I’m going to win. They don’t want to hear the word win. I will just close my mouth and open my legs,” the former North West University security guard added.

In addition to the forecast tussle between Dijana and Wiersma, 2019 champion Edward Mothibi is also in the mix, as are 2024 Two Oceans champion Onalenna Khonkhobe and last year’s Comrades runner-up Dan Moselakwe.

The rope runner

Rope-running pioneer Marissa Groenewald will also be competing in this year’s race as she aims to break the sport’s distance record she set a few months go, when she completed the Two Oceans. This year’s Comrades will be a total of 89.98km and Groenewald aims to skip the whole way to the finish line.

“The time has finally come. I am excited, overwhelmed and nervous. But more excited. Once you get to the expo and get your race number, it starts sinking in,” Groenewald told Daily Maverick.

“With the nerves and excitement, I am intrigued and interested to see how my body will fare. As much as I have prepared for it and I’m ready to give it my absolute all, I’m to see how I will be feeling when I reach 40km, 60km and then 80km (when I’ll have 10 more kilometres to go),” she said.

“A lot of the preparation has gone into my mental state and mental preparation, as much as it’s gone towards my body. You can throw anything at your body, as long as you prepare for it and you train hard. It’s your mind that you need to conquer,” she added.

“So, that’s what I’m looking forward to. Conquering my mind on Sunday and crossing the finish line, with skipping rope in hand. That will be my victory.”

With all the negative boardroom-related publicity that has plagued the Comrades Marathon Association over the past year, it will be imperative for the organisers to make this latest edition of the historic event a particularly memorable one. DM

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South Africa

Smiling Assassin

Competitive pool

The rope runner