Gerda Steyn turns 36, but Smiling Assassin shows no signs of slowing down
Gerda Steyn, having just turning 36, remains a formidable force in marathon running, preparing for her seventh consecutive Two Oceans Marathon title while showcasing impressive form in recent Gauteng races. Picture: Gerda Steyn/Facebook
Image: Gerda Steyn/Facebook
While many people would see sports stars turning 36 as signalling the twilight of their careers, for Gerda Steyn it’s more likely she’s got plenty left in the tank.
Steyn celebrated her birthday on Tuesday, but there would not have been too much time for celebrating as she is in the midst of her final preparations for the Two Oceans Marathon next month.
Steyn will be gunning for her seventh title in a row at Two Oceans in Cape Town on April 11. That would go quite well with her four Comrades Marathon titles.
The prize money for the 2026 Two Oceans has been increased by R130,000 to R380,000 for first place in the respective men’s and women’s races in the 56km event.
Celebrating Life and Milestones: Steyn’s 20km Birthday Run
“Nothing like a birthday to remind me how important it is to live life to the fullest!! Time passes, so spending it in ways that’s worth remembering is everything,” said Steyn on Facebook.
“March is usually the deep end of my training, but I would choose this over anything else anyway. Thankful to be doing this life and excited for the next 365 days! Ps: If you’re wondering if I ran my age in km’s today: Yes, a full 20km done.”
Steyn’s Impressive Performances in Gauteng’s Toughest Races: A Prelude to Two Oceans
Over the last month, Steyn has turned out at some of the toughest races in Gauteng.
In Joburg’s ‘Toughest Half Marathon’ at the Pirates 21km in mid-February, Steyn had to settle for second place in 80 minutes and 14 seconds (80:24) behind Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala (79:33).
“Can’t win ‘em all. It was such a great morning at Joburg’s Toughest 21km race,” said Steyn at the time.
Over the weekend, Steyn returned to winning ways at the Sunrise Monster 32km race in Pretoria as she completed the gruelling course in 2:06:56, which works out to a pace of 3:58 per km, which is similar to her goal speed for Two Oceans.
In fact, Steyn beat out runner-up Puleng Khumalo by 16 minutes 27 seconds.
Granted Steyn will face stiffer competition at Two Oceans, it’s significant that she is in such good form over a month out from the big event.