Steyn dominates as Jack delivers upset at Bay to Bay 30km

South African ultra distance queen Gerda Steyn opened her season with an impressive 1:49:29 win at the Top Form Bay to Bay 30km on this morning (January 18). After claiming second place (1:50:09) behind British athlete Lucy Reid's remarkable 1:49:17 last year, Steyn dominated the race from Camps Bay to Hout Bay this time around as she outpaced second-placed Jenna Challenor of the Nedbank Running Club by over five minutes (1:55:02), while Deanne Laubscher rounded out the top three in 1:58:13. Speaking to #TheTopRunner after the race, Steyn who competes in the purple of the Hollywood Athletic Club emphasized that her primary goal from the start line was to be the first woman across the finish line.

"Securing victory was my main objective, particularly after finishing second in the previous year's event. I am thrilled to have emerged victorious in the race. The weather conditions were quite cool and sunny throughout. The wind was not as strong as it typically is during this time of year in Cape Town. So I would say we were quite fortunate to have obtained the desired weather conditions," explains Steyn, a four-time Comrades Marathon Champion. 

Steyn poses for a photo after winning the Top Form Bay to Bay 30km. Photo Credit: ABPhotoZA.

"I competed in this event to assess my fitness and determine my starting point for the season. As December is a period of reduced training, this race will provide a realistic indication of my performance potential as the season progresses. Overall, it was a fulfilling day, as I managed to improve my time from the previous year. Thank you to the organizers for staging a well-organized event that created an electrifying atmosphere for competition.”

Now Steyn will shift her focus to preparing for the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon scheduled for Saturday 11 April where she will be eyeing her seventh consecutive title.

"From now on my main focus is the Two Oceans Marathon. It's one of my favourite races on the calendar. But before that, I'm going to do the Runzone 21km and Pirates 21km as part of my preparations for the big day. I still have some unconfirmed races but the main goal is Two Oceans," she said.

Jack making his move in a battle agains Bosman. Photo Credit: Supplied.

In the men's race, Edward Jack of the TymeBank Ilanga Athletics Club delivered a stellar performance, finishing first with a time of 1:35:19. He successfully edged out 2024 Two Oceans Runner-up Lloyd Bosman, who came home in a time of 1:38:53 as trail runner Kane Reilly claimed the third spot in 1:41:42.