In an epic race where numerous records were broken, whether personal or official, it was a memorable day all around for the athletes who competed in the 97th annual Comrades Marathon. This year also saw various novice runners making their way mark in a huge way - some even finishing in the top 10!
This year’s Up run saw gruelling hills and the wind gusts also contributed to the difficulty level of this year’s Comrades Marathon, despite it being the shortest race distance yet. Starting at the Durban City Hall and finishing at the HollywoodBets Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg, this year’s ultimate human race was the shortest to date - 85.91 kilometer. More than 20 000 athletes made their way to the starting line on Sunday, 9 June, and with adrenaline pumping and ‘Chariots of Fire’ playing in the background, the stage was set for Comrades Marathon 2024.
Piet Wiersma's one goal
Missing out on last year’s gold medal, Piet Wiersma from The Netherlands, had one goal in mind - to win the race. In the first half of the race, Wiersma adopted a conservative strategy, conserving his energy for a strong finish. Jobo Khatoane from Lesotho, aiming for his first Comrades finish, and Aleksei Beresnev from Russia, returning after a top 10 debut last year, led a two-man pack at Drummond, the halfway point. They were within a minute of each other, with the nearest competitor over five minutes behind and Wiersma sitting in 10th place, almost nine-and-a-half minutes off the lead.
Shifting into a higher gear
However, Wiersma then shifted gears dramatically, increasing his pace from 3:58 per kilometer to 3:37 per kilometer, propelling himself into the top five by the Cato Ridge checkpoint at 56.6 kilometers. This set the stage for significant changes in the second half of the race. Beresnev maintained the lead, followed by Degefa Yohannese Lafebo from Ethiopia, who was stepping up in distance after two top-10 finishes at the Two Oceans Marathon. South Africans Tete Dijana, the two-time defending champion, and Dan Moselakwe, a previous Comrades podium finisher, were in third and fourth positions, respectively.
It was a race to the finish
Wiersma continued his strong performance, taking the lead by Umlaas Road at 67.5 kilometers, passing Lafebo. By Mkondeni at 79.1 kilometers, he had extended his lead to nearly a minute. Meanwhile, Beresnev and Dijana were unable to maintain their pace and fell out of the top 10. Moselakwe capitalised on the fading runners to move into second place. Joseph Manyedi from South Africa methodically climbed to fourth place, achieving his best Comrades finish in his eighth attempt, while Andrew Davies from the UK surged from 12th to fifth in the second half of the race, marking his first Comrades finish.
At the finish line, Wiersma secured his victory, staying 45 seconds ahead of Moselakwe and nearly three minutes ahead of third-place finisher Lafebo.
Top Ten Men
Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands) — 5:25:00
Dan Moselakwe (South Africa) — 5:25:45
Degefa Yohannese Lafebo (Ethiopia) — 5:27:48
Joseph Manyedi (South Africa) — 5:28:33
Andrew Davies (U.K.) — 5:30:46
Bongmusa Mthembu (South Africa) — 5:34:45
Elov Olsson (Sweden) — 5:35:24
Teboho Sello (Lesotho) — 5:36:11
Alex Milne (U.K.) — 5:36:51
Givemore Madzinganyama (Zimbabwe) — 5:37:09
South Africa's sweetheart
South Africa’s favourite marathoner, Gerda Steyn, once again gave the performance of her life by smashing her own record time she set for the Up race in 2019.
Off to a strong start
From the start of the race, Steyn maintained a leading position. At the 5.5k and Pinetown (18.5k) checkpoints, she was part of a leading group with Carla Molinaro from the UK and Loveness Madziva from Zimbabwe. Molinaro, a seasoned Comrades runner with six finishes and a best performance in third place last year, and Madziva, aiming for her first Comrades finish after several strong 50k performances, kept pace with Steyn. The trio led a tight pack through Winston Park (29.6k), with the top 10 women within six minutes of the lead. However, Steyn then accelerated her pace by four seconds per kilometer, creating a nearly one-minute gap ahead of Madziva by Drummond (42.6k), the race's halfway point. By this point, the 10th-place runner was over 10 minutes behind Steyn.
Leading, progressing, shifting
As the race progressed, Steyn's lead grew even more, but there were significant shifts in the field behind her. Alexandra Morozova from Russia, the 2022 champion and a frequent Comrades podium finisher, surged between the Umlaas Road (67.5k) and Mkondeni (79.1k) checkpoints, increasing her pace by nearly 10 seconds per kilometer to overtake Molinaro and Nobukhosi Tshuma from Zimbabwe, moving from fourth to second, a position she maintained. Tshuma, like Madziva, was transitioning to longer distances after success in shorter ultramarathons.
She came out of nowhere!
The most dramatic move came from American Courtney Olsen, who steadily climbed the ranks throughout the race. By Drummond, she was in ninth place but gained three positions by Umlaas Road. As she approached Pietermaritzburg, Olsen advanced three more spots to finish third. This impressive debut at the Comrades follows her top-five finishes at the IAU 50k and 100k World Championships.
Despite the competition, no one could match Steyn's performance. She triumphantly crossed the finish line under a cloudless sky, setting a new women’s Up run record and finishing over 15 minutes ahead of second-place Morozova. Steyn's dominant victory solidifies her status as one of the top ultramarathon runners in the world.
Top Ten Women
Gerda Steyn (South Africa, lives in the United Arab Emirates) — 5:49:46
Alexandra Morozova (Russia) — 6:05:12
Courtney Olsen (United States) — 6:08:09
Carla Molinaro (U.K.) — 6:12:01
Nobukhosi Tshuma (Zimbabwe) — 6:12:18
Antonia Iushina (Russia) — 6:12:28
Caitriona Jennings (Ireland) — 6:13:00
Jenet Mbhele (South Africa) — 6:16:54
Dominika Stelmach (Poland) — 6:19:24
Yuliya Ryzhankova (Russia) — 6:28:22
A huge congratulations to all the athletes who finished the ultimate human race! And for those who missed the cut-off, whether it be at Drummond or the finish line, just remember that you are super human beings for competing in this impressive race and we are still proud of you! Next year is your year!
#nakanjani #TheUltimateHumanRace #ComradesMarathon2024
