The Two Oceans Ultra Marathon and Two Oceans Half Marathon will take place this weekend resulting in several road closures. Image: X @2OceansMarathon
Two Oceans Marathon result: Golden girl Gerda Steyn SMASHES record
Gerda Steyn claimed a spectacular record-breaking third consecutive Two Oceans Marathon title in Cape Town on Sunday morning.
The Two Oceans Ultra Marathon and Two Oceans Half Marathon will take place this weekend resulting in several road closures. Image: X @2OceansMarathon
Gerda Steyn claimed a spectacular record-breaking third consecutive Two Oceans Marathon title in Cape Town on Sunday morning.
READ | TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON RESULTS: ZIMBABWE RUNNERS DOMINATE
The 32-year-old became the first woman in 23 years – since Lesotho’s Angelina Sephooa – to claim a hat-trick of victories.
In addition, she became the first woman to break the 3-and-a-half hour barrier in the race, stopping the clock on the UCT rugby fields in a time of 3:29:42, obliterating Frith van der Merwe’s previous course record of 3:30:36.
“The record stays home. I’m really proud and humbled by that,” she said afterwards.
“It was very tactical. I’ve been focusing on marathons over the past few years so I didn’t always feel so strong, but it worked out.”
Gerda Steyn won R500 000
Steyn took home R500 000 for her efforts, thanks to the winner’s prize of R250 000 and an additional R250 000 for breaking the record.
Irvette van Zyl, who led for large parts of the closing stages, ensured a South African 1-2 by finishing in a time of 03:30:31, which was inside of Van der Merwe’s record.
Sponsors Totalsports surprised Van Zyl with a R50 000 reward for also beating Van der Merwe’s 1989 time.
Meanwhile, there was heartache in the men’s race for South Africa’s Nkosikhona Mhlakwana, who missed out on a maiden title in ding-dong battle with eventual winner, Ethiopia’s Edndale Belachew.
Belachew finished in a time of 3:09:05, just three seconds ahead of Mhlakawana’s 3:09:08.
The men’s record remains the scarcely believable 3:03:44 by Thompson Magawana in 1988.
