On Saturday, June 8, Gerda Steynof South Africa however who lives within the United Arab Emirates, and Tija of South Africa gained the 98th working of the Comrades Marathon. For Steyn, it was her fourth win and third in a row. Dijana gained for the third time and gained redemption after final yr’s disappointing 14th-place end.
Racing within the “down” path, Steyn gained the lead simply earlier than midway and took the win in 5:51:19. Steyn was second in 2018, and gained in 2019, 2023, and 2024. The boys’s race noticed Dijana run down early frontrunner Nalenna Combese (South Africa) after which maintain off defending champion Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands) to win in 5:25:28. He earlier gained the race in 2023 and 2022.
Referred to as “greater than a race,” the occasion is a nationwide celebration and the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon. Even the beginning is historic and filled with pageantry. The nationwide anthem is sung, adopted by a Shosholoza, a conventional Zulu track, the Chariots of Fireplace theme is performed, and eventually, a recording of a rooster crow sounds simply earlier than the 5:45 a.m. native time begin. Over 22,000 runners began the downhill run, the race’s largest down-run discipline ever.
Comrades is held on a point-to-point highway course and alternates path every year, both going “up” from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, or, as within the case this yr, “down” from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Each instructions are spiked by the “Massive 5” hills, and the down run pitch accelerates within the second half.
This yr’s down run went for 89.98 kilometers (55.91 miles), which was barely longer than the 87.70 kilometers (54.49 miles) from the final down run in 2023. The additional distance got here from a change within the end line, which moved from the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium to outdoors Folks’s Park.
This yr’s race had a file prize purse, too, totaling R7,605,000. That’s roughly $427,000 and practically double final yr’s R4,000,000 ($225,000). First-place finishers earned R874,000 ($49,150), prize cash went 10 deep, and there was the potential for course file bonuses and scorching spot primes on high of that too. It’s actually the richest prize in ultrarunning, however for comparability, the 2024 New York Metropolis Marathon had a complete purse of virtually $900,000.
The Comrades Marathon is the oldest and largest ultramarathon on the planet. Photograph: Nedbank Working Membership/Tobias Ginsberg
2025 Comrades Marathon Girls’s Race
Comrades rookie Elizabeth Musicoma (Zambia) led early and took the primary 5k in 18:47. Race favourite Gerda Steyn (South Africa, lives within the United Arab Emirates) was within the again half of the highest 10, and 28 seconds off the lead on this first 5k.
Steyn was not solely the general public favourite but additionally the betting favourite. This yr’s race had authorized sports activities betting, and a day earlier than the beginning, Steyn had 6-10 odds. Steyn set the down-run file in 2023 in 5:44:54 and, earlier in 2025, gained the Two Oceans Marathon for the sixth time in a row.
Steyn moved up over the subsequent 5k, however the hole to race chief Mukoloma grew. The pacesetter Mukoloma was 47 seconds up 10k into the race. Dominika Stelmach (Poland) and 2022 winner Alexandra Morozova (Russia) trailed Steyn by 12 seconds in third and fourth. Standout marathoner Irvette van Zyl (South Africa) was sixth in her debut run, and 2024 third-place runner Courtney Olsen (U.S.) was eleventh at this level.
Mukoloma ran simply behind the lads’s chase group via the Umlaas Highway course excessive level at 20k. Two minutes behind her, Morozova pulled even with Steyn.
On an extended climb to the midway level, 2:42 into the race, Steyn made the long-anticipated go and moved into the lead. Steyn led at midway, smiling and waving to the gang, and Mukoloma quietly tucked in behind. The primary six girls — Steyn, Mukoloma, Morozova, Stelmach, Shelmith Muriuki (Kenya), and van Zyl — all got here via midway in underneath three hours, a file. Olsen, the highest American, was nonetheless eleventh.
Shortly after midway whereas nonetheless climbing, Mukoloma was lowered to a stroll — she would in the end gradual to a top-20 end. Morozova now moved as much as second. After which the identical factor occurred to Morozova too. Virtually 3:30 into the race, close to the 58k Winston Park timing cut up, Morozova stopped to push towards a roadside guardrail in an effort to clear cramps. It should’ve labored, the brief cease was sufficient to get her again on the course. Steyn led Morozova by 4 minutes right here, however simply 9k later at Pinetown, Morozova had reduce 52 seconds from Steyn’s lead. Muriuki overtook Stelmach for third at Pinetown.
Morozova saved the strain on. At Westville, kilometer 78, Steyn’s lead over Morozova was all the way down to 2:44. The Russian chaser had reduce one other 24 seconds over 9k in distance, however she wouldn’t get any nearer over the ultimate 11k.
Gerda Steyn gained for the fourth time in 5:51:19, at a considerably quicker tempo than when she’d gained in 2023 on a shorter course, and 2022 winner Alexandra Morozova was second in 5:55:56.
Shelmith Muriuki made historical past to grow to be the primary ever Black girl to complete on the race’s podium.
Gerda Steyn wins the 2025 Comrades Marathon girls’s race, her third win in a row. Photograph: Nedbank Working Membership/Tobias Ginsberg
2025 Comrades Marathon Girls’s Outcomes
- Gerda Steyn (South Africa) – 5:51:19
- Alexandra Morozova (Russia) – 5:55:56
- Shelmith Muriuki (Kenya) – 6:07:56
- Irvette van Zyl (South Africa) – 6:11:35
- Dominika Stelmach (Poland) – 6:12:02
- Carla Molinaro (Uk) – 6:13:03
- Janet Mbhele (South Africa) – 6:14:24
- Caitriona Jennings (Eire) – 6:16:42
- Courtney Olsen (U.S.) – 6:17:48
- Melissah Gibson (Uk) – 6:19:59
Full outcomes.
2025 Comrades Marathon Males’s Race
Nalenna Combese (South Africa) flew from the beginning line and cut up 14:54 for the primary 5k. He did the identical factor in 2022 as a staff pacesetter earlier than dropping out. Since then, he’s gained the 2024 Two Oceans Marathon, which put him on the radar as a runner to observe, however he went so quick so early that the sphere didn’t take his begin critically and let him get away.
Whether or not Khonkhobe’s quick begin was a respectable technique or an uncommon pacesetting task, he extremely pushed his result in over seven minutes simply 90 minutes into the race. That was over two kilometers in entrance of everybody, and even farther in entrance of the presumed race favorites. Khonkhobe ran with a superb stride, smiling and waving to the gang, at occasions working aspect to aspect throughout the highway, but additionally continuously trying behind for anybody to affix his fast early tempo.
A number of runners had been stretched out behind Khonkhobe, however all the high contenders stayed additional behind in a wildly massive chase group that included defending champion Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands), 2022 and 2023 winner Tija (South Africa), former 100k world record-holder Nao kazami (Japan), and three-time winner Bongshye Mthembu (South Africa), amongst others.
After which on a 4k climb, simply over two hours into the race, Khonkhobe began to interrupt. He stopped to stroll, and reached for his cramping hamstrings at occasions. Quickly after, second-place Mbuti Mollo (South Africa) began to stroll earlier than dropping too. Khonkhobe acquired going once more and led via the midway level, however the chase group, containing all of the favorites, whereas nonetheless 20 minutes behind Khonkhobe, appeared higher and higher and got here via midway at a fairly paced 2:48.
A big group ran collectively through the early kilometers of the 2025 Comrades Ultramarathon. Photograph: Nedbank Working Membership/Tobias Ginsberg
Fortunate Mohale (South Africa) overtook Mollo for second three hours into the race, but it surely was the final we’d see both Mohale or Mollo on the entrance of the match. Khonkhobe improbably saved preventing via his cramps. A number of occasions, he’d come to a whole cease in seen agony, solely to regain kind and proceed to guide the race.
Lastly, Tete Dijana and Bongmusa Mthembu started to push the chase group ahead. With 30k to go, Khonkhobe led by 13 minutes. Whereas the lead was shrinking, 13 minutes was nonetheless rather a lot. Wiersma sat comfortably within the group, however Kazami was three minutes behind the big chase group.
Because the race neared the four-hour mark and with 24k to go, Dijana, Wiersma, Edward Mothibi (South Africa), David Gatebe (South Africa), and Joseph MANY SONGS (South Africa) broke from the big chase group and went after Khonkhobe. The tempo continued to quicken. Gatebe and Manyedi had been the subsequent to drop. Dijana and Mothibi had been sprinting alongside Wiersma via Pinetown, kilometer 69, and a kilometer in entrance, Khonkhobe was once more strolling.
With 4:24 on the clock and 16k to go, Dijana and Mothibi flew previous daylong chief Khonkhobe and the 2 coaching mates — Dijana and Mothibi — briefly shared the lead earlier than Dijana asserted his energy and surged with 15k to go. The transfer broke Mothibi sufficient that he fell again to 3rd behind Wiersma, after which ultimately additional again. It was round right here that Khonkhobe dropped from the race.
Dijana would continuously look over his shoulder the remainder of the way in which, and solely narrowly prevented a finish-line dash towards Wiersma, as in 2023 when the 2 had been separated by three seconds. Tete Dijana gained in 5:25:28 and Piet Wiersma was second in 5:25:33. For comparability, in 2023 Dijana gained in 5:13:58 on the shorter course.
Nikolai Volkov (Russia) moved up late to complete third in 5:29:42.
Tete Dijana, males’s winner of the 2025 Comrades Marathon, cools down midrace. Photograph: Nedbank Working Membership/Tobias Ginsberg
2025 Comrades Marathon Males’s Outcomes
- Tija (South Africa) – 5:25:28
- Piet Wiersma (The Netherlands) – 5:25:33
- Nikolai Volkov (Russia) – 5:29:42
- Edward Mothibi (South Africa) – 5:31:41
- Joseph MANY SONGS (South Africa) – 5:32:09
- Alex Milne (Uk) – 5:34:08
- David Gatebe (South Africa) – 5:34:30
- Bongshye Mthembu (South Africa) – 5:35:48
- Gordon Lesetedi (South Africa) – 5:36:22
- Vasilii Korytkin (Russia) – 5:38:59
Full outcomes.
