Gerda Steyn Eyes Record Payday as Shorter 2026 Comrades Marathon Route Boosts Pace Potential

• Gerda Steyn heads into June’s race with strong momentum and a real shot at a major financial reward
• The 2026 Comrades Marathon will feature a notably shorter course, creating conditions for faster finishing times
• Organisers have reworked key sections of the route to improve race flow while slightly easing some of its toughest stretches

Gerda Steyn, the reigning Two Oceans Marathon winner, will be buoyed by her historic victory in April 2026 as she turns her focus to the Comrades Marathon in June 2026.

Steyn has recently travelled to France as part of her preparations for the race she won in 2025. This year’s edition could prove particularly lucrative for the ‘Smiling Assassin’. She has already pocketed significant prize money for her Two Oceans Marathon triumph, although she is still awaiting her earnings from last year’s Soweto Marathon.

Gerda Steyn to earn R2 million if she wins

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The 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon has been confirmed at an official distance of 85.777km and will take place on Sunday, 14 June. It will be the shortest Up Run in many years, opening the door for a potential R2 million payday through victory and time-based incentives.

The revised distance is 133 metres shorter than the 2024 Up Run and nearly a kilometre shorter than the 2019 edition.

The 2025 race marked Steyn's fourth Comrades Marathon title, where she claimed victory in a winning time of 5:51:19, finishing ahead of Alexandra Morozova and Shelmisth Muriuki. Her consistency at the front of the field continues to place her among the all-time greats of South African road running.

Steyn also won the women’s race in 2023, further strengthening her reputation as one of the most dominant ultra-distance runners in Comrades history.

Roadworks reshape the Comrades Marathon course

Comrades Marathon Race Director Sue Forge said ongoing roadworks had significantly affected both the route and planning. However, strong collaboration with municipalities, the Road Traffic Inspectorate, Durban Metro Police and Msunduzi Traffic Police allowed organisers to finalise a slightly shorter course. She added that the revised route would improve the management of road closures, traffic flow, infrastructure removal and post-race clean-up.

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Forge explained that the course has been reshaped, including changes to the finish at Scottsville and a shorter finish straight. She noted that one of the biggest adjustments will be between 45th Cutting and Cowies Hill, where runners will move in a contra-flow direction, running on the opposite side of the road against normal traffic. According to Forge, this will slightly reduce the gradient of that section.

She added that the Umlaas Road cut-through has been retained. Organisers worked closely with SANRAL and appointed contractors to remove a 12-metre section of the new roadside barriers and surface the area, enabling runners to cross directly. This adjustment will save runners approximately 870 metres.

Two men disqualified after illegal substitutions

Briefly News previously reported that two runners were caught on the wrong side of the rules and regulations at the Two Oceans Marathon on Sunday, 12 April 2026, in Cape Town.

The discovery was made by one of the race board members, Stuart Mann, on Tuesday, 14 April

Source: Briefly News