Gerda Steyn clinched a record sixth consecutive Two Oceans ultramarathon victory after crossing the finish line at the University of Cape Town’s rugby field in a time of 3:29:10 on Saturday. While Steyn has made her stamp as the queen of the 56km Two Oceans route, she was, however, not quick enough to better her record time (3:26:54) for a fourth time in succession. Steyn’s time was the third fastest time in the women’s Two Oceans, with the two fastest belonging to her as well.
She sped into the lead at the start of the race in Newlands and kept it to Muizenberg. She seemed on track for a record-shattering time, but faltered on Chapman’s Peak. Such is the standard set by the 35-year-old Steyn that she finished more than eight minutes ahead of her closest competitor, Shelmith Muriuki of Kenya, despite not having the perfect second half. Muriuki’s time was 3:37:50. “To go out with a strategy like that comes with risks, so I also had to keep in mind how I felt and how the second half of my race would play out,” said Steyn. “In my training, I knew I was in good shape. I really felt strong, and I tried to focus on the hills coming into the race, so I knew I was in shape for the record, and I’m sure I could have done it, and I could still do it in future. “But I’m not feeling like it was half a win. It wasn’t. I’m 100 percent happy with the result.”
