INSPIRATION
healthy during my university years ,” says Gerda , adding that nobody ever picked up that she had a talent for running . “ I was never really focussed on my running . I always just ran for fun and never pushed myself to see what I was capable of , so I never came near or didn ’ t even dream of winning any of the races that I participated in . I always finished way back in the field .”
After University , Gerda landed a job in Johannesburg to start her career as a quantity surveyor , and in her first two years of working , she continued with recreational running . She ran a few 10km and 21km races and says she really enjoyed them . Then in 2014 , she was offered a job in Dubai and jumped at the chance , even though it was a strange new environment . “ I took a chance and grabbed the opportunity , and just decided to go there on my own ,” recalls Gerda .
dates back to 1989 , and then claimed the Comrades win later that year , along with the women ’ s course record for the Up Run . Since then she has broken the South African women ’ s record for the marathon and represented her country in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics , and is now set to chase a third consecutive win at Two Oceans .
She says that while she has put her career in quantity surveying aside to focus on running , she continues to apply lessons from her first career to her second career . “ I loved working as a quantity surveyor and could have done it for the rest of my life . As a quantity surveyor , I learnt how to work with and deal with people , and it helped build my personal skills . In running , you rely on your own body , but as a quantity surveyor it comes down to teamwork . That is an adjustment , but in running you also need people to support you – you work with your partner and your coach , otherwise you won ’ t achieve success . What quantity surveying taught me is that you must also take advice and work with others .”
“ When I arrived in Dubai , I didn ’ t know anybody , so one of my colleagues suggested I join a running club to make friends . There I met a few people from different countries , including British , Americans and Australians , who were busy preparing for the Comrades Marathon . One of the friends I made at the running club was Duncan Ross , who later became my husband . He has had a great impact on my life , because when I met him , we started training together . He put me through a training programme and made me believe I have a serious talent for running .”
Running Talent Discovered
As Gerda ’ s fitness and endurance built up , so she decided to give the marathon distance a go . “ I started running with the group in October and started improving rapidly , and in January 2015 , I entered my first marathon , which was the Dubai Marathon . It ’ s a big Gold Label race and very competitive , with the best
Latecomer to Running
Gerda grew up on a farm in Bothaville in the Free State and attended Kleinbroek Primary School , a very small school with about 100 children . She grew up alongside sister Estie and brother Stefan , in a happy household provided by parents Pieter and Trudie Steyn , and completed her schooling in 2008 at Bothaville High School . Throughout her school career , Gerda tried all sports and was especially fond of hockey and netball , but never really running .
“ I enjoyed participating in all sports , but never stood out in anything in particular . We used to have athletics meetings against two other very small schools , but I was never good at sprinting , so when I was in grade five , at the age of nine or 10 , I wanted to do the 1200-metre race . I thought it would suit me better , but I was too young for the 1200 , so I had no option but to compete against the older children . This was my first running memory , and I never really made the school team ,” says Gerda .
After school , she started running a little when she attended university , doing distances of 5km to 10km . “ I had a friend at university that used to run with me , and it was nowhere near competitive . It was only recreational , and I was just trying to stay
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