Comrades Marathon 2019: The ladies vying for the women’s race win

The Comrades Marathon Women’s race winner could take home R1-million in prize money is she can break Elena Nurgalieva’s 2006 up-run record.

Here we look at six women who stand a great chance of claiming the million by being the first lady home in Pietermaritzburg this Sunday 9 June.

Ann Ashworth 

The shock winner in 2018, she demonstrated tactical brilliance to win the down run, and subsequently left her career as an advocate to run full time ahead of the 2019 Comrades Marathon. She is in great form having achieved a marathon Personal Best of 2:35 at the Valencia Marathon in Spain, in December of last year.  Ashworth is a real contender to become the first woman to win successive races since Nurgalieva.

Camille Herron (USA)

Injury robbed Herron of a shot at repeating her 2017 win in last year’s Comrades Marathon. Last December the American set a new 100-mile record at the Desert Solstice Track Invitational. The reigning Up Run champion the 37-year-old is a genuine title contender. 

Gerda Steyn 

2018 and 2019 Two Oceans winner, Steyn, has made it clear that her goal this year is to claim a maiden Comrades Marathon title. The 28-year-old enjoyed a meteoric rise from amateur to professional in the space of five years. After her second place at the 2018 Comrades Marathon, she took a six-week break from the sport before preparing to tackling the New York Marathon, where she finished 13th with a Personal Best time of 2:31.

Charne Bosman

The 43-year-old Bosman is in red hot form and could well win the race to add an up-run win to her 2016 down-run triumph. Bosman won the Johnson Crane Hire Marathon at altitude in January and the Om Die Dam Marathon at Hartbeespoort Dam in March. One of South Africa’s most consistent athletes in recent years, she has five gold medals from six starts at the Comrades Marathon.

Devon Yanko (USA)

Devon Yanko’s Comrades story began in 2012 when she finished fifth in her debut race. After a four-year break from the race she returned in 2017 and 2018 to earn two more gold medals. She won the Oaklands Marathon in a time of 2:43 in March.

Danette Smith

A relative newcomer to the sport of ultra-running, Smith made a stellar debut in 2017 earning a gold medal. She was off the pace last year but returns quicker and fitter than ever before. She has enjoyed an encouraging start to the season, notching race wins at the Kango Caves and West Coast Marathons.

2019 Comrades Marathon Men’s Race contenders

Comrades Marathon – Other Elite women:

Race No.	First Name	Surname	Country	Running Club
16868	Nandi	Zaloumis	RSA	Boxer Super Store
12381	Sophia	Sundberg	SWE
30062	Kate	Rees	RSA	Wanderers Athletic Club
20680	Janine	Rawlinson	RSA	Wanderers Athletic Club
15312	Heather	Fell	GBR
18360	Aigul	Mingazova	RUS
19733	Alena	Rybkina	RUS
44555	Lisa	Collett	RSA	Crusaders Running Club
25882	Cajsa	Berg	SWE
54048	Janie	Grundling	RSA	Murray & Roberts Running Club  – KZN
26314	Chrissie	Wellington	GBR
24647	Jacqueline	Kellerman	RSA	Murray & Roberts Running Club  – CG
26489	Ulrica	Stander	RSA	Murray & Roberts Running Club  – WP
29167	Catrin	Jones	CAN
19157	Stellar	Bhengu	RSA	Team Vitality – CG
29538	Katerina	Kasparova	CZE
21233	Caitriona	Jennings	IRL
42796	Ntobezentu	Mfunzi	RSA	Nedbank Running Club Eastern Province
21237	Dominika	Stelmach	POL