Gerda Steyn was once again a crowd favourite at the Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon powered by BYD.
Image: Mark Sampson
Gerda Steyn’s dominance on the road is not only building a legacy, it is steadily growing her bank balance, too.
Her seventh consecutive Two Oceans Ultra Marathon victory in Cape Town at the weekend added another R380 000 payday to her record-breaking streak, underlining her continued supremacy over the women’s field.
Over seven wins, 36-year-old Steyn’s earnings from the race alone now run into the millions, reflecting her rare consistency at the top of ultra-distance running. But it is at the Comrades Marathon where the financial stakes become significantly higher, and 2026 promises one of the richest editions yet.
The elite prize purse has increased by 10% for the race on June 14, rising to a total of R8.2 million, with the men’s and women’s winners each set to earn R925 000. On top of that, the first South African finishers will take home R242 000 each in the 99th edition of the race.
However, the biggest money lies in performance bonuses (without even factoring in endorsements). A record-breaking up run would earn an additional R605 000, while the first athletes to post the fastest average pace – if records remain intact – will still collect R550 000.
For Steyn, who already holds the women’s up run record of 5:49:46, the incentive structure presents a rare opportunity to defend her title, chase history, and unlock a potential seven-figure payout in a single race.
Last year’s victory illustrated the scale of those rewards, when she banked R1.6m in total Comrades earnings through a combination of prize money, pace bonuses and checkpoint incentives. A similar performance this year could once again push her earnings well beyond the million-rand mark, especially if she is involved in another record-breaking duel.
Already a four-time champion, Steyn will line up chasing a fifth Comrades title, with both legacy and lucrative rewards on the line. And while she continues to insist that her focus is on performance rather than prize money, the numbers increasingly tell a story of their own – one where dominance and financial reward are keeping pace.