Gerda Steyn is a South African professional marathon and ultramarathon runner widely regarded as the country’s greatest woman long-distance athlete of the modern era. Known by her fans and rivals as the “Smiling Assassin,” she holds the South African national marathon record, the Comrades Marathon down-run record, and the Two Oceans Marathon course record. Before taking her running talent to the world, Steyn worked as a qualified quantity surveyor — a career she left behind to chase finish lines across continents.
Gerda Steyn Biography
| Field | Details |
| Full name | Gerda Steyn |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 3 March 1990 |
| Age | 36 years old (as of March 2026) |
| Place of birth | Bothaville, Free State, South Africa |
| Current residence | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Ethnicity | Afrikaner (White South African) |
| Zodiac sign | Pisces |
| Religion | Christian |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Height | Approximately 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Weight | Approximately 119 lbs (54 kg) — estimated |
| Hair colour | Blonde |
| Eye colour | Blue |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Duncan (airline pilot) |
| Children | None publicly confirmed |
| Alma mater | University of the Free State |
| Profession | Professional marathon and ultramarathon runner |
| Net worth | Estimated $500,000–$1 million (unconfirmed) |
Who is Gerda Steyn?
Gerda Steyn is a South African professional long-distance runner who has broken or set multiple national and course records since bursting onto the elite athletics scene in 2018.
She competes in marathon and ultramarathon events and holds four Comrades Marathon titles, six Two Oceans Marathon titles, and the South African national marathon record of 2:24:03.
What makes Steyn’s story remarkable is the path she took to get there. She did not grow up a runner. She trained as a quantity surveyor and moved to Dubai for work in 2014.
Joining a local running club simply to meet people, she discovered a natural gift for long-distance running that would eventually take her to two Olympic Games and to the top podium of South Africa’s most celebrated races.
She earned the nickname “Smiling Assassin” because of the wide, genuine grin she wears even as she runs competitors into the ground.
As of March 2026, she is targeting a record seventh consecutive Two Oceans Marathon title scheduled for April 11, 2026, in Cape Town.
How Old Is Gerda Steyn? Age and Birthday
Gerda Steyn is 36 years old as of March 2026. She was born on 3 March 1990 in Bothaville, a farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. Her birth date places her under the Pisces zodiac sign, which runs from 19 February to 20 March.
What is especially notable about Steyn’s age relative to her career is that she did not enter serious competitive running until she was 24 years old.
Most elite long-distance runners begin training in their teens. Steyn, by contrast, won her first major race and set her first records in her late twenties and early thirties, and she continues to be one of the top performers in world ultramarathon running at 36.
Gerda Steyn’s Height, Weight, and Body Measurements
Gerda Steyn stands approximately 5 ft 7 in (around 170 cm) tall and weighs an estimated 119 lbs (approximately 54 kg). Her lean, long-limbed physique is typical of elite endurance athletes who train at high weekly mileage.
No officially confirmed detailed body measurements are publicly available, and all physical figures for Steyn should be considered approximate.
Her physical build allows her to maintain a punishing race pace over distances of 56 km and 90 km. At the 2025 Two Oceans Marathon, she averaged a pace of under 3:44 per kilometre over the full 56 km — a pace most recreational runners cannot sustain over a single kilometre.
Gerda Steyn’s Early Life, Family, and Education
Family Background
Gerda Steyn was born and raised on a working farm in the Bothaville area of the Free State. Her parents, Pieter Steyn and Trudie Steyn, raised her alongside two siblings — a brother named Stefan and a sister named Estie.
Life on the farm was physical and active, though Steyn has said openly that she was never considered a runner during those years.
At Bothaville High School, where she completed her matriculation in 2008, she participated in hockey and netball.
She tried out for the cross-country team but did not make the cut — a detail that adds a satisfying layer of irony to her later career as one of the world’s top ultra-distance runners.
Education
After finishing school, Steyn enrolled at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, where she completed a BSc in Quantity Surveying (Honours).
During her university years she did run occasional 5 km and 10 km distances recreationally, but not at any competitive level.
She graduated as a qualified quantity surveyor and began building a professional career in construction cost management before running would change everything.
The University of the Free State named her its Alumna of the Year in 2023, celebrating her achievements and the pride she had brought to her alma mater.
Gerda Steyn’s Career
From Quantity Surveyor to Professional Runner
In 2014, Steyn accepted a job offer as a quantity surveyor in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Finding herself in a new city without a social network, she did what many expats do — she joined a local running club to meet people.
That club was the Dubai Creek Striders, and what she went there for in terms of friendship, she found in far greater measure: a calling.
She entered the 2015 Dubai Marathon and then the 2015 Comrades Marathon, finishing 56th overall in the women’s category with a time of 8:19:08.
It was hardly a race that announced a future champion, but it was the beginning. After that race, she met Nick Bester, the 1991 Comrades Marathon winner, who became her coach and helped reshape her training approach entirely.
The Rise: 2018 and Beyond
Her first major elite victory came at the 2018 Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, where she crossed the finish line in 3:39:32. She was 28 years old and had been running seriously for just four years.
In 2019, she completed one of the most celebrated double victories in South African running history — winning both the Two Oceans Marathon (3:31:28) and the Comrades Marathon (5:58:53).
That Comrades time was a landmark in the sport: she became the first woman in history to complete the Comrades uprun in under six hours.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa sent her a public congratulatory message. Only the third woman ever to win both races in the same calendar year, she became a national hero overnight.
Olympic Campaigns
Steyn represented South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, finishing 15th in the women’s marathon with a time of 2:32:10 on a hot, humid day in Sapporo, Japan.
She returned to the Olympic stage at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing 45th in 2:32:51. While her Olympic marathon results have not matched her ultramarathon dominance, analysts note she raced both Games with significant ultra-marathon mileage in her legs from earlier in those seasons.
South African Marathon Record
At the 2023 Valencia Marathon in Spain, Steyn clocked 2:24:03, setting a new South African national marathon record and breaking her own previous mark of 2:25:28 set in Siena, Italy in 2021. That 2021 record had itself broken a 25-year-old national record by over a minute.
Comrades Marathon Records
| Year | Race Direction | Time | Position |
| 2019 | Up Run | 5:58:53 | 1st |
| 2023 | Down Run | 5:44:54 (record) | 1st |
| 2024 | Up Run | 5:49:46 (record) | 1st |
| 2025 | Up Run | 5:51:19 | 1st |
She is a four-time Comrades Marathon champion and holds both the down-run record (5:44:54) and the up-run record (5:49:46). She became only the fourth woman in history to complete the Comrades Marathon in under six hours.
Two Oceans Marathon Dominance
The Two Oceans Marathon (56 km) has become Steyn’s signature race. She has won it six consecutive times since 2018, set the course record of 3:26:54 in 2024, and is the only woman ever to complete the race in under 3 hours 30 minutes — achieving that feat four times.
She received a permanent Blue Number from the Two Oceans Marathon Blue Number Club (normally awarded after ten completions) after winning the race three times, an honour given to elite multiple-time champions.
As of March 2026, she has her eyes set on winning a record seventh consecutive Two Oceans title on 11 April 2026 in Cape Town.
In preparation, she won the Bay to Bay 30 km race on 18 January 2026 and the Sunrise Monster 32 km in Pretoria on 1 March 2026, both in dominant fashion.
Awards and Recognition
- South African Athletics Sportswoman of the Year (multiple nominations)
- UFS Alumna of the Year, 2023
- Named the world’s number one road ultra runner by several athletics bodies
- Holder of four South African national records across multiple distances
What Is Gerda Steyn’s Net Worth and Salary?
Net Worth
Gerda Steyn’s net worth has not been officially disclosed. Based on her prize money earnings, sponsorship deals, and brand ambassador contracts accumulated since 2018, her estimated net worth sits between $500,000 and $1 million as of 2026.
This figure is an approximation drawn from available public information and should not be taken as confirmed.
Prize Money
Prize money alone gives a clear picture of how much elite running earns. At the 2025 Comrades Marathon, Steyn earned a total of R1,644,000 (approximately $90,000 USD) from a single race — comprising her first-place prize of R874,000, an additional R550,000 for the best average pace among women, R220,000 as the first South African female home, and R50,000 for leading at the Cell C Hot Spot checkpoint. That was one race, in one season.
At the 2026 Two Oceans Marathon, the first-place prize has been raised to R380,000, reflecting the race organisers’ continued investment in elite athletes.
Sponsorships and Brand Deals
Steyn draws income from several long-term brand partnerships:
- Adidas South Africa — her primary running kit and shoe sponsor; she competes in the Adidas Adizero Pro range
- Toyota South Africa — signed a three-year brand ambassador deal in June 2025, announced directly after her fourth Comrades win
- Thirsti Water — official brand ambassador for the South African hydration brand, which also sponsors the Comrades Marathon refreshment stations
- Garmin South Africa — GPS watch sponsor
- Oakley — eyewear partnership visible across her social media
- Hollywood Athletics Club — her club affiliation, which carries its own sponsorship benefits
Between prize money, appearance fees at elite races, and multi-brand sponsorship contracts, Steyn earns what analysts estimate to be a highly competitive income for South African professional sport.
Her annual earnings in peak seasons are believed to exceed R3–4 million when all sources are combined.
Is Gerda Steyn Married? Husband, Relationship, and Dating History
Husband: Duncan
Gerda Steyn is married to Duncan, whose surname has not been made public. He works as a commercial airline pilot.
The couple met through their shared involvement in running clubs and got engaged in December 2017, when Steyn announced the news on her Twitter/X account with a now-famous post: “He had me at ‘Let’s go for a run’ — Woohooo we are ENGAGED!!!”
Duncan has been a consistent presence at Steyn’s major races. After her record-breaking win at the 2025 Two Oceans Marathon, footage and posts showed the couple reacting together to her victory.
Blue Crane Farm in South Africa’s Western Cape also hosted Steyn and her husband in March 2026 as she prepared for the Two Oceans race.
In multiple interviews, Steyn has described Duncan as her greatest personal supporter, noting that having a partner who understands the demands of elite sport — the early mornings, the long training blocks, the travel — makes her career possible.
Children
As of 2026, Gerda Steyn and Duncan have no children publicly confirmed.
Gerda Steyn’s Social Media Presence
As of early 2026, Gerda Steyn has approximately 108,000 followers on Instagram (@gerda_steyn), where she posts training content, race updates, motivational messages, and brand-sponsored material.
Her Facebook page (@gerdarun) has around 99,500 followers, and she is active on Twitter/X under the handle @gerdarun.
She uses her platforms primarily to document her training journey, share sponsor content for Adidas, Toyota, Thirsti Water, and Garmin, and post race-day celebrations that frequently attract tens of thousands of interactions. Her Comrades 2025 victory post drew over 20,000 likes on Instagram.
Fast Facts About Gerda Steyn
- She did not make her high school cross-country team at Bothaville High School — yet went on to become the world’s top-ranked ultra road runner.
- She started competitive running at age 24 — an age by which most elite distance runners already have a decade of racing behind them.
- Her race nickname “Smiling Assassin” reflects the paradox of her racing style: warm and cheerful on the outside, ruthlessly fast and tactically sharp in competition.
- She is the only woman in history to complete the Two Oceans ultramarathon in under three hours and thirty minutes — a feat she has achieved four times.
- At the 2023 Valencia Marathon, she broke a South African marathon record that had stood for 25 years.
- Her husband Duncan is a commercial airline pilot who shares her love of early mornings, though for different reasons.
- The University of the Free State named her Alumna of the Year in 2023, recognising her as a global ambassador for the institution.
- She signed a three-year brand ambassador deal with Toyota South Africa in June 2025, just hours after winning her fourth Comrades Marathon title.
- Despite being an Olympic marathon competitor (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024), she considers ultramarathons her true domain — saying the longer the race, the more she comes alive.
- She grew up on a farm that ran sheep, chickens, and various agricultural operations — a background she credits for teaching her hard work and resilience from a young age.
Read more: Nadia Nakai Age, height, net worth, boyfriend, career
Wrapping Up
Gerda Steyn’s story is one of late starts and early records. From a farm in the Free State to the world’s most prestigious ultramarathon finish lines, she built a career out of a hobby picked up at 24 in a Dubai running club.
At 36, she remains the dominant force in South African long-distance running, chasing a seventh Two Oceans title in April 2026 and continuing to set the standard for what women’s ultra-running can be.
References
- Wikipedia. “Gerda Steyn”.
- World Athletics. “Gerda STEYN | Profile”.
- New York Road Runners. “Gerda Steyn – South Africa”.
- Daily Maverick. “Astonishing Gerda Steyn: A once-in-a-generation athletic talent”.
- IOL Sport. “Gerda Steyn’s total earnings from winning the 2025 Comrades Marathon”.
- IOL Sport. “‘Smiling Assassin’ Gerda Steyn conquers Sunrise Monster with one eye on Two Oceans next month”.
- EWN. “The story of Gerda Steyn — from quantity surveyor to record-breaking athlete”.
- University of the Free State. “UFS Alumna of the Year – Gerda Steyn”.
- Times Live. “Toyota welcomes Comrades winner Gerda Steyn as official ambassador”.
- IOL Sport. “Gerda Steyn: The journey to Two Oceans Blue Number Club membership”.
- Dubai Creek Striders. “The Greatness of Gerda Steyn”.
- Adidas Group. “From Quantity Surveyor to Pro Athlete – How Gerda Steyn Turned a Hobby Into a Winning Career”.
Disclaimer: The information on Fame Lynx is gathered from sources we consider reliable. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any biographies, net worth estimates, or related content. Readers are encouraged to confirm information through independent sources. For corrections or questions, contact info@famelynx.com.
