Steyn confirms Soweto Marathon as SA’s toughest after gritty podium finish

Oh yeah, it is official!

The African Bank Soweto Marathon is the toughest 42.195km race in South Africa — the toughest by far. This much has been confirmed by the one runner whose credentials qualify her to make such a call.

Gerda Steyn finished third in her maiden appearance at the People’s Race and added her voice to the long-held notion that there isn’t a standard marathon as challenging as this one in the famous township.

“I can certainly attest to that. It is a very, very tough race,” Steyn said, just after crossing the line in 2:37:00 behind winner Margaret Jepchumba of Kenya and Zambia’s Elizabeth Mukoma. “I am so used to tough courses on the ultra marathons, but to have experienced such a tough course for a (standard) marathon was different.”

Tough as the race was, Steyn was still beaming as she lived up to her moniker, ‘The Smiling Assassin’.

“It is something that I enjoyed. You have to be strategic and you have to be tactical with your approach and I’ve definitely enjoyed it, and I hope to be back.”

The race — moved to late November instead of its traditional first Sunday of the year’s penultimate month due to the squabbles between the Soweto Marathon Trust and the organising NPC — was run in wet conditions, compared to the usual heat.

It was the kind of weather Steyn thrives in.

“I don’t think the rain really affected us. I think if there’s a certain type of weather condition, it is the same for everyone and it would not have changed the results had the conditions been different.

"I prefer the cold weather which we had today over the hot and humid one. And I don’t think it had much of an effect. We had to just make sure we didn’t fall into a deep puddle or slip as we ran.”

Steyn has chalked up yet another fantastic year in a career that seems to keep on getting better and better, and she glowed as she reflected on 2025.

“I can go and relax now knowing I had a fantastic year. It is an honour to have had the results I had even without the win here in Soweto. I had the Comrades win and the record, plus the Totalsports Two Oceans one, so it would still have been a great year. But I still wanted to finish the year strong and put in one more performance, and I am pleased to have another podium here.”

Her goal for 2026 remains the same as it always is: to dominate the domestic ultra season by smashing the country’s top two races.

“I am already looking forward to another good year of running the ultras — my favourite races, the Two Oceans and the Comrades. But I will add other local races that I will decide on so that I don’t just appear on two start lines.”

The disappointment of the cancelled Sanlam Cape Town Marathon last month continues to linger for Steyn, who is unlikely to run the race again given its switch from late in the year to May starting next year.

“For the end of the year, I will incorporate another marathon,” said the athlete who usually runs an international marathon (previously she ran Valencia and/or New York).

“I was gutted to miss Cape Town Marathon this year and with it being moved to the beginning of the year next year, it’s unfortunate for me that I will not be able to run it. I will decide later on what I will do.”

South Africa will no doubt hope she runs the Soweto Marathon again, if only to make up for missing out on the top podium.

“It was a tough race. From the gun-go the pace was really fast from the beginning, but I expected it to be like that. I think it was the most competitive field we have had at the Soweto Marathon in a long time.

"The ladies opened the gap early on. I was never really in contention with them when the race got under way. I am pleased to still have finished on the podium and proud to have given my all to this very, very tough race,” Steyn concluded.