You feel like you are not inside your own body, says jubilant Steyn

Gerda Steyn has described winning the Comrades Marathon as “an out-of-body experience”. On a day when Louis Massyn became the first man to complete the race 50 times, the Hollywood Athletics Club athlete reigned supreme once again.

Steyn secured her fourth Comrades Marathon title — an unprecedented feat for a woman — with a composed run of 5:51:19, and yet her elation resembled that of a first-time winner.

“The feeling? You feel like you are not inside your own body,” she said during the post-race press conference at Moses Mabhida Stadium. “It’s like you look down on yourself doing it. To get to a point where you are in the finishing straight and you are going to win it — it is meaningful and impactful.”

A crowd favourite, Steyn still had the energy for a celebratory lap of honour, high-fiving supporters with her trademark smile — though a rare grimace was spotted during the race, suggesting that this year’s win didn’t come as easily as in her previous triumphs.

“I try to share it,” she explained. “That moment is so big, you can’t hold it all in one body. So I will try to share it with the supporters. I will forever remember it.”

Speaking after her victory in the 98th edition of the world’s most prestigious ultramarathon, which delivered its usual mix of thrills and drama, Steyn revealed her lofty ambitions: to one day surpass Bruce Fordyce’s record of nine wins and become the most decorated Comrades runner of all time.

“I stand on the shoulders of many athletes who have come here and done it year after year. For me, every year is different, and I want to establish myself as something other than a one-hit wonder.

“For young people searching for someone to look up to, it’s important to show that this can be a career and lifestyle. I want to create a legacy — people before me have done it. I love this race, and there are very few hours in a day that I don’t think about Comrades. The hunger to win it is bigger than ever.”

Away from the glory of Steyn and men’s champion Tete Dijana, who completed a hat-trick of down run victories, came one of the most heartwarming moments of the day — Louis Massyn's historic 50th Comrades finish.

The 74-year-old ran the entire race accompanied by two teammates from Outeniqua AC, but completed the final metres alone. At the finish, he was welcomed by Barry Holland, who has completed 49 races but fell short of his 50th attempt last year.

“It has been awesome,” Massyn told a television reporter at the finish. “I got awesome support along the way, jeez. All I heard was, ‘Good luck’, ‘Congrats’, ‘What a legend’ — I was supported all the way. It was absolutely fantastic. It was a gruelling, tough day, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.”