Johannesburg - Gerda Steyn may have been aiming for a top-10 finish at the New York Marathon on Sunday, but she was still left beaming with her 11th place finish in what she described as the “hardest race ever”.
Ironically, Steyn finished in the same position for a second time at the New York Marathon with her time of 2hr 30min 22sec, matching her 11th place in 2019.
“Shew, hardest race ever but once again, an out-of-this-world experience!!! I can't actually believe that I finished in 11th place for the second time,” wrote Steyn on her Facebook page.
“But I am delighted with the result and just want to say a HUGE thank you for all the amazing support I received going into this race!!!”
Though Steyn, 32, was unable to match her time of 2:27:48 from two years ago - her efforts in more testing conditions were more than satisfying.
“I gave it my all from start to finish and that's what matters most,” she said.
“It was a completely different experience than previous years because of the hot weather so I know that this one will stay with me for a long, long time!!”
Steyn set a new South Africa marathon record of 2:25:28 last year in Italy, and decided to skip the Comrades Marathon this year as she prepared for the New York Marathon. In fact, Steyn was the defending champion in the Comrades Marathon, having won it in 2019 as they event was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It meant her last major distance race was the Two Oceans Marathon in April, which she duly won, as she put all her eggs in one basket for New York.
With the race now behind Steyn, she said she planned to enjoy some much-earned relaxation with her husband.
“BRB off to celebrate a year of perseverance, vasbyt and not giving up even when the waves were hitting hard!!! And then some long-awaited down time with my number one biggest supporter and rock @pilotdunc," she said.
IOL Sport