Last year’s female winner of the Comrades Marathon, Gerda Steyn, says she is prepared to defend her title tomorrow.
Over 20 000 runners are expected to set off from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.
This year’s up-run covers a distance of 85.91 kilometers.
Steyn won the female category of the race in 2019 and 2023.
“In terms of pressure, I think there is pressure on me, but it’s not new to me, and I also feel like you cannot perform at your own pace without pressure. That is what brings out the best in an athlete. So, I have applied that to myself, and I have turned that pressure into more of a challenge than to see it as stress on me.”
Meanwhile, 2022 and 2023 men’s category winner Tete Dijana says he has put in place a plan of action for tomorrow’s race.
“I am focusing on my race, and I have discussed my run plan with my couch, and I know when to move and when not to move. I am going to run my own race, and I am not going to expect someone to run someone else’s race. Again, I will expect the unexpected for me to see if I can win the up-run because I don’t have an up-run. I’m going to try and make a hat trick, if I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it.”
Comrades Marathon| Top runners gear up for grueling challenge:
