Until 3 December this year , Gerda Steyn was the SA Record-holder in the marathon with 2:25:28 , but the fastest time by a South African was still Elana Meyer ’ s 2:25:15 , run on the aided Boston course in 1994 . However , when Steyn crossed the finish line of the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso in Spain , she moved to the top of the all-time list with her brilliant new SA Record of 2:24:03 , finishing an outstanding 11th in a star-studded field that produced numerous national records .

Steyn , the Two Oceans and double Comrades ( Up and Down ) record-holder , covered the first half in 1:11:43 ( her career best is 1:10:55 ) and the second in 1:12:20 . Her remarkably even 5km splits were 17:04 , 16:56 ( 34:00 ), 17:02 ( 51:02 ), 16:58 ( 68:00 ), 17:07 ( 1:25:07 ), 17:04 ( 1:42:11 ), 17:23 ( 1:59:34 ), 17:02 ( 2:16:36 ), with 7:27 for the last 2.195km . Steyn now has four of the seven fastest times ever run by a South African woman , including well as three of the four fastest record-legal times .

After her run , Steyn said , “ One very happy gal , here ! New South African national record , a big chunk off my previous PB and Olympic qualifier done . I lost some time between 30 and 35km , which , I guess , cost me finishing just three seconds away from 2:23 , but I managed to pick up my pace again and finish the last 5km well . Feeling so grateful for today , especially to have run along incredibly strong women and putting it all out there to get the result I worked for !”

TOP 10 FASTEST SA WOMEN ON RECORD-LEGAL COURSES : 1 2:24:03 Gerda Steyn Valencia , 3 Dec 2023 2 2:26:11 Irvette van Zyl Valencia , 4 Dec 2022 3 2:25:35 Colleen De Reuck Berlin , 29 Sep 1996 4 2:27:17 Elana Meyer Chicago , 24 Oct 1999 5 2:27:31 Dominique Scott-Efurd Chicago , 8 Oct 2023 6 2:27:36 Frith van der Merwe Port Elizabeth , 24 Feb 1990 7 2:29:27 René Kalmer Berlin , 28 Sep 2014 8 2:30:31 Annie Bothma Durban , 12 Mar 2023 9 2:31:02 Mapaseka Makhanya Hannover , 19 Apr 2015

* ( A ) = Assisted course , not record-legal

A photo-finish in a marathon is rare , but it happened in the Houston Marathon in the USA on this day , when Briton Charles Spedding was judged the winner over Italian Masimo Magnani , both running 2:11:54 , and both believing he had won . The difference in prize money was $ 10,000 . Due to the fact that there was no finish line camera , it took 15 minutes of deliberation by the line officials to determine the winner , and their decision sparked an immediate protest by Magnani . As Spedding would later say , he won his first marathon by “ the thickness of a vest .”

Four months later , Spedding won the London Marathon by almost two minutes in 2:09:57 ( the ninth-fastest time in the world that year ), and another three months after that he took the bronze medal in the 1984 Olympic Marathon in Los Angeles with a time just one second slower , 2:09:58 , and losing the silver by a scant two seconds to Irishman John Treacy . In 1985 , Spedding finished second in the London Marathon in 2:08:33 , took third in the 1986 Chicago Marathon , and in 1988 he finished sixth in the Olympic Marathon in Seoul , South Korea .

10 2:32:33 Tanith Maxwell Berlin , 26 Sep 2010

Charlie Spedding ( left )

A blurry image catches the drama as Charlie Spedding and Masimo Magnani finish together in the 1984 Houston Marathon

South African Road List Leaders for 2023 ( As at 5 December 2023 ) This section lists the best South African official performances this year in each of the most popular official road distances .

MEN

WOMEN

30km 1:41:23 William Kaptein Parow , 26 March

42.2km 2:06:42 Stephen Mokoka Osaka , 25 February

50km 2:39:04 Tete Dijana Gqeberha , 26 February

30km 2:02:28 Carla Molinaro Cape Town , 20 August

42.2km 2:24:03 Gerda Steyn Valencia , 3 December

50km 3:07:48i Gerda Steyn Cape Town , 15 April

100km 8:17:53 Bulelani Mkhosana Cape Town , 15 July

100km 12:16:56 Angelique Smit Cape Town , 15 July

KEY | a – Aided course , e . g . point-to-point , and therefore not record-legal • i – Time recorded officially during a longer race

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