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Gerda set for seven at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, powered by BYD
Not since the heady days of Bruce Fordyce has a single athlete dominated South African ultra-running to the extent the Johannesburg athlete did in the 1980s, but Gerda Steyn is getting close. Some would argue she is right up there now.
Fordyce’s set of nine victories at the Comrades Marathon is the platform on which he gave expression to his impressive ‘lang-asem’ skill set, but he also chalked up a number of other impressive victories, most notably a 100km road race against the world’s best ultra-distance athletes in Stellenbosch in 1989, the USA 50 mile championship and the London to Brighton 55 miler which he won on three occasions.
While Steyn has a way to go to emulate Fordyce’s nine victories at Comrades, she boasts a greater range of distance running ability, having set a national record for the standard marathon, a distance in which she represented South Africa at two Olympics Games. She has also achieved a spread of impressive results over shorter distances, including on trails.
But what sets her apart from Fordyce is her superb record at the Two Oceans Marathon. Fordyce only once raced the Oceans competitively, placing an impressive 4th in 1983. Instead, he used the Oceans as an essential part of his Comrades training, running just under four hours for a silver medal most years.
While few would dispute Steyn’s mantle as ‘Queen of Comrades’ after her four resounding victories in that race and record-breaking feats since 2019, Steyn makes no secret of the fact that Two Oceans is a favourite race for her.
After feeling her way cautiously through to 14th place in 4:15:44 in her first Oceans in 2016, Steyn has knocked it out of sight. She won her second attempt, clocking a relatively modest 3:39:32 in 2018, before her 3:31:28 win the following year suggested it would not be a question of if but when she would break Frith van der Merwe’s 30-year-old record.
COVID only delayed the inevitable and she smashed the record over three successive years, taking it from 3:29:45 in 2022 to 3:26:54 in 2024, before chalking up another win last year for good measure.
She is strongly favoured to chalk up her seventh as she lines up at the 2026 Totalsports Two Oceans 56km powered by BYD this weekend.
“I know I have done it before and so I believe that I can do it again,” said Hollywood AC’s top runner at a media launch at a city hotel this week. “But I don’t ever allow myself to be too comfortable just because I have won it six times. I know that I have to put in 110% of my effort because every single athlete is going to be focused on winning this race.”
Steyn concedes she will have to be at her very best to win The World’s Most Beautiful Marathon for a seventh time.
“I must respect the quality of the field. My guess is that it won’t be a one woman show. We’ve got such amazing runners this year and I can only control how I run – and make sure that I run my very, very best.
“If everyone else around me is suffering and I’m suffering too, then I will perform the best in that situation. I know it’s going to be a big challenge. But it means so much to me, so I’ll give everything I can to achieve that goal.”
Does Steyn have it in her to improve her superb 2024 Two Oceans race and take the mark closer to 3:20 than 3:30, to a time which would have been good enough to have won most of the initial six Two Oceans Marathons overall?
The Pretoria, Dubai and French Alps-based athlete has always been humble in assessing her talents and generous and gracious when referencing her that of her rivals. But she is also honest and spoke openly about her prospects of earning yet another record-breaking cash bonanza from the title sponsor.
“To talk about the record before you’ve broken the record was always nerve-wracking,” Steyn admitted. “(It’s a bit easier) once you’ve broken it and you’re looking to improve it a bit more, but I still feel nervous talking about it!
“It really comes down to what you’ve done in preparation. I can say that my preparation has gone really well. I’ve trained longer and at higher altitude than ever before. And I’ve come down to sea level a little earlier to ensure I recover better.
“Everything about my training has gone well. So I hope that I can follow the same routine I’ve set out in training during the race. Of course, there’s a lot I can’t control but what I can say is that I’m going to give my very best on race day.”
Steyn was not wrong in respecting the quality of the field, with several athletes ready to pounce at the sign of any weakness or vulnerability from Steyn.
History will judge her Hollywood teammate, Irvette van Zyl, as deeply unfortunate to have hit her ultra-marathon peak in the Gerda era. At any other time, Van Zyl would have had her name engraved on the trophy on several occasions and been regarded as one of the all-time Two Oceans greats. To be fair, she still should be.
Van Zyl ended her Two Oceans Half Marathon rein with two wins and a tally of six gold medals out of eight starts. Of her three successful attempts at the Ultra (2019, 2022 and 2024), she has placed second to Steyn on each occasion, twice finishing inside Frith van der Merwe’s former ‘impossible’ record. She could be forgiven for wishing Steyn would crash out of the race on a Chappies cats-eye… just once!
Van Zyl will again be competitive and favoured for a podium position, but the 41 year old Kenyan, Shelmith Muriuki, has been making ultra-marathon waves in South Africa in recent years. She became the first black female athlete to podium at the Comrades Marathon, finishing third last year, while taking the race to Steyn in last year’s Two Oceans.
Muriuki was right in contention to halfway before losing contact as she fumbled for her drink at a refreshment station. “Next time you won’t get away that easily” joked the Kenyan to Steyn at the prize-giving and she will be fired up to contend even more strongly this time around.
Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala is one of Southern Africa’s most consistent marathoners and is well-placed to bag her second Two Oceans podium, after finishing third last year while a number of other athletes, including SA-based UK athlete, Carla Molinaro, Kenyan Margaret Jepchumba and local runner, Deanne Laubscher, add quality and depth to the field.
While the women’s competition could prove the race highlight, with none of their male counterparts looking up to challenging legendary Thompson Magawana’s 38-year record of 3:03:44, a lead group of more than thirty can be expected to head the race through the half marathon mark at Fish Hoek and twenty through halfway at the start of Chappies.
Defending champion from the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, Joseph Khoarahlane Seutloali, is quietly confident about retaining his title, although some of his rivals were bolder in their predictions at the media event.
While Seutloali kept his cards close to his chest, 2024 winner, Onalenna Khonkhobe, stated he is ready to right the wrongs of 2025 when he did not finish the race and is prepared to challenge the clock if needed.
“This is my show,” he declared when asked about the possibility of the men delivering the race’s first sub 3:09 clocking since ultra marathon legend Bongumusa Mthembu ran 3:08:39 to win in 2019.
Southern Cape athlete, Lloyd Bosman, is determined to prove his second place in 2024, when he came within an ace of victory, was no fluke, while former Cape Town athlete, Sithembiso Mqhhele, has gone from strength to strength since his move north and proved his current form by finishing second in the Peninsula Marathon in February.
The race gets underway from Newlands Main Road at 05h15 on Saturday 11 April, with the first runners expected across the line at the UCT Green Mile shortly after 08h15.
The post Gerda set for seven at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, powered by BYD appeared first on Sports Network Africa.
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is poised on the brink of marathon nirvana through joining the select group of seven planet designated as Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) but tomorrow’s (Sunday 24 May) 32nd edition of Africa’s greatest footrace will reveal that the event has already taken its place in the higher echelons of global distance racing.
There is little doubt the race has moved up several notches in every way since the devastating and dramatic events which led to the weather-related cancellation of last year’s race in October and boasts a field of exceptional quality.
The record SCTM marathon entry of 27 0000 includes 8,500 international participants from 145 countries, with the largest contingents from the United States of America (1571 entries), the United Kingdom (712) and Germany (358). The leading African countries represented are Zimbabwe (263), Botswana (177) and Kenya (133).
1800 marathoners are visiting the city to take part in the AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships, providing depth of quality not just amongst the race leaders but through every age group category.
A remarkable array of platinum, gold and silver-level athletes will ensure the most competitive marathon ever on the African continent, by far.
Fifteen men boast marathon personal best times faster than Abdisa Tola’s 2024 race record of 2:08:16 while nine female athletes taking part have run faster than Glenrose Xaba’s impressive 2:22:22 race record from 2024.
Cape Town has enjoyed hosting a sprinkling of big-name marathon athletes in the past, but these were in the twilight of their careers. This year’s elites are currently racing at or near the peak of their powers.
Ten of the fifteen male and five of the nine female athletes have recorded marathon times faster than the record in the past year and will be looking to Cape Town to move them further up the global rankings.
They are not just here to make up the numbers, to ensure the SCTM retains its global status. These elites are racing in Cape Town to enhance their careers as professional athletes, as well as a desire to be part of marathon history.
Eliud Kipchoge is arguably an exception, as few would suggest that his best years still lie ahead. But equally no one will doubt the added value of the presence of the greatest marathon athlete of all time at the start of his global challenge adventure to race on every continent.
While the great man, who won two Olympic gold medals and eleven AbbottWMM titles, might not stand on the podium in Cape Town, his 2:05:25 just over a year ago at London Marathon – three minutes inside the SCTM record – suggests he may not be far off.
“They say North, South, East or West, home is best… Cape Town is in Africa, and I belong to the African continent,” said Kipchoge at the elite athletes media conference yesterday. “This is my home, this is my soil, and I am a child of Africa.
“That’s a big reason that I am here, to show my support for Cape Town to become a Major marathon next year,” said Kipchoge.
“The culture of running here in South Africa is really amazing – when I wake up at 6 o’clock to run, I see everybody out there, and the same thing in the evening.
“I also had the opportunity to go to Langa and saw how much the children love sport. This is really the country of sport, and the perfect home for a World Marathon Major,” he added.
Ethiopian Mohamed Esa, 25, has stood on three AbbottWMM podiums, including Tokyo, Chicago and Boston (second on each occasion) and, with AbbottWMM status set to be awarded to Cape Town retrospectively provided all boxes are ticked, will be looking to increase that to four.
With a marathon PB of 2:04:39, set in Chicago in 2024 (he ran just 10 seconds slower in last year’s race), Esa starts second to pole position behind Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 from 2022, with his former compatriot now competing for Israel, Maru Teferi, close behind with his 2:04:44 at Valencia 18 months ago on his calling card.
Boki Kebede Asefa returns to Cape Town following his week of disappointment last October, more determined than ever to make his mark on the African continent. He warmed up for the SCTM with an impressive second place in 2:05:55 in Doha earlier this year, just 15 seconds off his best set in Amsterdam in 2024.
A clutch of other sub-2 hr 06 min marathoners increases the size of the engine room up front with 24-year-old Kenyan Benard Biwott a name to watch in years to come and quite possibly tomorrow. He debuted with a 2:05:54 at Frankfurt in 2024 before improving to 2:05:25 in his second in Paris last April.
Two other Ethiopians in the field have clocked 2:05:33 marathon bests – Mulugeta Asefa Uma in winning the Paris Marathon in 2024 and Yihunilign Adane, 30, who ran the time in Osaka this year after running faster than 2 hr 10 min in fifteen of his twenty marathons.
Kenyan Justus Kangogo ran his marathon debut in Shanghai in 2016 and clocked his best of 2:05:57 in Berlin in 2023, just missing his best at Valencia five months ago.
Just outside the 2:06 club are Ethiopian Jemal Yimer Mekonen (2:06:08 in Seoul in 2024) and Adane Gebre Kebede, a well-known face in Cape Town. Kebede won the SCTM in 2023 before running second to Tola the following year, his 2:08:32 the third-fastest ever in Cape Town.
Zimbabwean Isaac Mpofu launched his international career with a win in the Durban International Marathon in 2022 and went on to achieve top ten positions at the 2022 and 2025 World Athletics Championships. His marathon best of 2:06:48 in Valencia in 2022 suggests he could stay with the leaders for much of the race.
Once again, three times SCTM champion, Stephen Mokoka (2:06:42 marathon best), will carry South African hopes , with Hendrick Ramaala-coached Desmond Mokgobu, and last year’s South African Marathon Champion, Bennett Seloyi, other leading local campaigners hoping to mix it with the marathon magicians for as long as they are able.
Kenyan Kalipus Lomwai returned to action after struggling with injury for many years, turning heads with his 59:26 third place in Rome last year. His first marathon post-injury on Sunday is eagerly anticipated.
Lesotho athlete, Kamuhelo Mofolo, 20, who boasts a 1:00:52 half marathon, makes his debut on Sunday.
Pacers are an important component of major marathons and the presence of South African multiple record-holder, USA-based Adriaan Wildschutt, adds a significant dimension to the race. KZN athlete and internationally-recognised pacer, Adam Lipschitz, and Germany’s Johannes Motschmann will join Wildschutt serving in this capacity.
Another Kenya legend will be in action tomorrow, adding a regal touch to the women’s field as King Kipchoge’s presence does in the men’s.
A former double marathon champion in the World Athletics Championship and oldest winner of an AbbottWMM race, Edna Kiplagat, echoed her countryman’s positive thoughts on Cape Town. “I’m so grateful to be part of the elite race here in Cape Town. It is a great milestone that you have all worked to achieve, and I believe we are going to have a great race on Sunday.”
Remarkably at 46 Kiplagat is still running near the peak of her career and believes that if the course and conditions are in her favour, she can come close to her marathon PB of 2:19:50, set in London in 2014.
“I’ve had the greatest team who have been helping me with everything that I do, and I’m so grateful, because whenever I’m preparing for a race, they make sure everything goes well. I’m lucky that the support I get has really helped me to achieve all my goals, but I still have more ahead of me, including here in Cape Town.”
This marks Kiplagat’s second visit to Cape Town. “I was part of the Kenyan junior team taking part in the World Cross Country Championships in Stellenbosch in 1996,” she added. “I just missed a podium position, finishing fourth, and I’m hoping that I can set that right on Sunday with a podium place!”
Expect a quartet of Ethiopia’s finest marathoners to be to the fore at the business end of the race, with 29-year-old Dera Dida having all the credentials to add another marathon title to her impressive CV.
Wife of Olympic gold-medallist, Tamira Tola, and sister-in-law to winner of the 2024 SCTM, Abdisa Tola, the twice World Cross Country silver-medallist, Dida, enjoyed a stellar 2025, beginning with a runners-up marathon PB of 2:18:32 in Dubai. Two more second places at Paris in April and Berlin in September have made her determined to top the podium at Cape Town.
Mestawat Fikir, Ruti Aga and Tiruye Mesfin complete the fast foursome, all who boast marathon best times faster than 2 hr 19 min, with any one capable of winning on her day.
Fikir,26, won her debut marathon in Paris in 2024 in 2:20:45 before going on to record her personal best of 2:18:48 in Berlin five months later, where she placed second and boasts an impressive half marathon of 1:06:44, equal to Elana Meyer’s former world record.
32-year-old Aga has run the fastest marathon of the four with a personal best of 2:18:00, which she achieved in Dongying, China, in 2023. She won the 2019 Tokyo Marathon and has stood on the podiums of AbbottWMMs at New York, Berlin and Tokyo.
The youngest of the four at just 23, Mesfin ran her best in placing third at Valencia in 2024 in 2:18:35.
Has Lonah Saltpeter one more high-quality sub-2 hr 20 min marathon in her legs and might that be in Cape Town? The former Kenyan Israeli citizen has re-written her adopted country’s distance records on track and road and is the fastest marathoner in the field after her 2:17:45 win in Tokyo in 2020.
Saltpeter has podiumed at New York, Boston and Tokyo, but may have to improve on her season’s best of 2:23:45 which she set in Valencia six months back.
The prize purse for the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has been significantly increased, with the top 10 men and women, plus main race age group podium finishers (not to be confused with the Age Group World Champs) splitting a pot of R3,598,000 – 40% up from last year’s 2,578,000.
The increased prize for the winner is now $35,000 (approximately R595,000, working on an exchange rate of R17 to the US Dollar), up from the $25,000 first prize on offer in 2025. Second place will now earn $20,000 instead of $15,000, while third place is worth $15,000 instead of $10,000.
The top 10 men and women, as well as the top five male and female wheelchair athletes, will be paid in US Dollars, as per standard practice in AbbottWMM events.
Wheelchair athletes have also seen their prize purse increased by around 35%, with the total prize purse climbing from R612,000 to R833,000. The wheelchair winners will now pocket $10,000 instead of $8000, while second place is up from $4000 to $5500, and third is worth $4500 instead of $3000.
The incentive for breaking the men’s or women’s course record has also been increased by 33%, from $15,000 to $20,000, and the organisers have thrown in an extra R250,000 incentive for a new World Record!
Local athletes will also have something to race for, with the first three South African men and women claiming R25,000, R12,500 and R7500 respectively, while the first three Western Province athletes will be rewarded with prize money of R3000, R2000 and R1000.
Furthermore, if a South African marathoner can break the SA Record, he or she will pocket a cool $10,000 incentive.
The combined prize purse for 2026, across the marathon, wheelchair race, 10km Peace Run and three Trail Runs, has been increased 37% from 2025’s R3,554,500 to R4,862,500. When all the record incentives are added, the total prize purse on offer amounts to a massive R6,602,500!
Tomorrow’s marathon action begins with the inspirational Peace Flame Ceremony at 7:20am, and then the Wheelchair Invitational race sets off at 7:50am, followed by the Elite start at 8am. These all take place in Fritz Sonnenberg Road, next to the DHL Stadium.
Next, the AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Champs entrants will start in Beach Road, near the Mouille Point Lighthouse, at 8:05am.
The rest of the marathon field will then start in five waves – three in Fritz Sonnenberg Road and two in Beach Road – from 8:10am until 9:06am. The final cut-off for the marathon will be at 3:50pm.
The post On the brink of Marathon Nirvana in Cape Town appeared first on Sports Network Africa.
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‘Don’t Let Agents Influence You!’ Okparaku Warns Chelle — Ex-Eagles Star Demands Merit-Based Unity Cup Selection
Former Nigeria international Mobi Okparaku has urged Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle to remain firm and avoid outside influence when selecting players for this month’s Unity Cup tournament.
Speaking ahead of the squad announcement, Okparaku warned the coach against allowing club officials or player agents manipulate the invitation process.
“Don’t let agents influence you,” he said.
According to the former defender, only the best players from the Nigeria Premier Football League deserve opportunities in the national team setup.
“Selection must be based on merit,” he implied.
Okparaku stressed that the Unity Cup should serve as a genuine opportunity for deserving domestic players rather than a platform influenced by politics or business interests.
“The invitation list must not be tampered with,” he noted.
The former international also praised Chelle’s recent scouting activities across the NPFL, insisting the coach should trust his personal observations.
“He has already watched the players himself,” he added.
For Okparaku, transparency and fairness are critical if the Super Eagles are to build a strong future squad.
“The best players should always play,” he stressed.
Nigeria’s upcoming Unity Cup campaign is expected to feature several fresh faces as Chelle continues rebuilding the national team.
For Okparaku, the message is clear.
Ignore external pressure.
Trust merit.
And reward the players who truly deserve the chance.
Because successful national teams are built on fairness, quality, and honest selection processes.
The post ‘Don’t Let Agents Influence You!’ Okparaku Warns Chelle — Ex-Eagles Star Demands Merit-Based Unity Cup Selection first appeared on Sports247 Nigeria.
The post ‘Don’t Let Agents Influence You!’ Okparaku Warns Chelle — Ex-Eagles Star Demands Merit-Based Unity Cup Selection appeared first on Sports247 Nigeria.
Due to severe adverse weather conditions forecast for Cape Town and the Western Cape this weekend, the organisers of the 2026 Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K, after consulting with the City of Cape Town authorities, local authorities, and the appointed safety officials, have made the difficult decision to cancel the event scheduled to take place on Sunday, 10 May, with all entrants promised a full refund or entry into next year’s race.
The decision today (Friday 8 May) marks the third high-profile race cancellation in Cape Town within the past seven months following the decision to cancel the Cape Town Marathon in October and the 35km race in the Ultra-trail Cape Town in November, both due to high winds.
Ironically the decision to cancel was made on one of the best-possible late-autumn days in Cape Town and with the promise of favourable racing conditions tomorrow (Saturday 9 May). But with a severe cold front expected to make landfall over the Western Cape on Saturday night or early Sunday morning, the City events team were left with no choice.
The forecast includes disruptive rainfall, strong interior and gale force coastal winds, as well as cold to very cold, wet and windy conditions across the region. Expected impacts include flooding of roads and settlements (formal and informal), as well as dangerous and difficult driving conditions.
While we understand the anticipation from thousands of participants and the broader running community, for the City of Cape Town safety at events is always a priority,” explained Leonora DeSouza-Zilwa, Director Events & Film, City of Cape Town.
“With the severe weather warnings issued for Cape Town this weekend posing a serious safety risk to participants, as well as impacting public infrastructure, mobility, essential services, and most importantly the safety of all stakeholders, responsible decision-making becomes critical. “
“Our Operations Team has been closely monitoring the weather predictions and engaging daily with the City of Cape Town authorities, local authorities, and the appointed safety officials, in the lead-up to race weekend,” commented Dezroy Poole, Race Director Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series.
“This decision (to cancel) was not taken lightly. However, under the expected conditions, we could not guarantee a safe and enjoyable race experience for all involved. We extend our sincere appreciation to every stakeholder for their understanding and ongoing support of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY Series.”
While runners will feel the disappointment, Sydney Mbhele, Group Chief Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer at Absa offered a silver lining. “While we share in the disappointment of thousands of runners safety had to come first. The decision to cancel was not an easy one, but we are delighted to offer our participants a choice between a full refund or free entry to the 2027 Absa RUN YOUR CITY CAPE TOWN 10K race,” said Mbhele.
Race organisers have promised that all registered runners will receive communication via WhatsApp and email newsletter over the course of the weekend, outlining the refund process and next steps. Further information and real time updates will be available on the social media platforms @CapeTown10k.
The 2026 Race Pack Collection at the Grand Parade will continue as scheduled. Runners are encouraged to collect their race packs throughout today (09h00 – 19h00) and Saturday (09h00 – 17h00).
The post Extreme weather forces cancellation of another high profile Cape Town road race appeared first on Sports Network Africa.
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