Gerda wins in Dubai
RISIDALE – Gerda Steyn turns a weakness into strength in short distance running after she wins the Dubai 10km.
Road running star, Gerda Steyn is relishing the form she is in after winning the Dubai 10km.
The Risidale resident has lined up a couple of races ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and winning her latest race on 24 January proves her training ahead of the sport’s biggest international event is on point.
“Everything went really well on the day,” Steyn told Northcliff Melville Times.
“It was only a short drive from our apartment in Dubai and I am well accustomed with the race as this was the third time running this 10km race. I do, however, find shorter distances challenging and I feel like it is still an area where I can improve, but fitting in short distance training and racing is the challenging part.”
Steyn said this was because her racing schedule was very busy. But, she added, working on her shorter distance races early proved a good decision.
“It is an extremely exciting time for me. My running career has been fairly short as I only started running in 2014 but it has been an incredible experience. The Olympic Games are getting closer and even though I am tremendously excited, I am trying to just stay in the moment and take one day at a time.”
This means focusing on staying healthy and getting fitter and faster every single day.
“I also have some races planned before the Olympics which breaks up the timeline into more comprehensible chunks.”
These include the RAK (Ras Al Khaimah) Half Marathon in the United Arab Emirates, dubbed the fasted half-marathon in the world, on 21 February, and the Half Marathon World Championships in Poland on 29 March.
“I would like to improve on my current 21.1km best time and also want to get accustomed to lining up with the world’s best athletes in shorter distance races. I think that this will be beneficial for me for later stages in my career.”
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