INSPIRATION
Architecture of a Champion
Two-time Two Oceans Marathon women ’ s winner Gerda Steyn will line up for the 2022 race fired up to go after a third consecutive win , and perhaps a course record as well . She ’ s come a long way since leaving her career in quantity surveying behind to focus on running , and her incredible results , records and accolades have proven it to be a great decision . – BY ADNAAN MOHAMED
Sometimes things happen that are out of your control ... and you must then be able to re-evaluate and change your plans to ensure that you make it a success . For Gerda Steyn , as a qualified quantity surveyor , the same principle holds true in running . “ There are a lot of similarities one can draw from the two disciplines . The success of a project is as a result of the amount of work that is put into it . If you are properly prepared , you can handle it ,” says the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon champion .
When Gerda won the Two Oceans in 2018 , it sent her fledgling running career into overdrive , and she followed that up with a second place in the 2018 Comrades Marathon . The following year , she retained her Two Oceans title , coming within a minute of breaking Frith van der Merwe ’ s long-standing course record that
Images : Tobias Ginsberg & courtesy adidas & Gerda Steyn
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