Can Gerda Steyn do the ‘impossible’ Comrades and Olympics double?

I’m a sexist armchair critic in the peanut gallery.

Well, that’s what I’ve been told after questioning whether long-distance runner Gerda Steyn is racing too much.

I maintain, however, that it’s a fair question.

Steyn is phenomenal. She shatters records like they’re made of paper-thin glass and she’s undoubtedly one of the best ultra runners South Africa has ever produced.

She lines up at the Comrades Marathon on Sunday as the firm favourite to not only win her third title, but also to break her own ‘up’ run record.

And while she has already won the Om Die Dam and Two Oceans ultra-marathons this year, very few people (if anyone) will be betting against her winning Comrades again.

Running on tired legs?

The problem is that Steyn is not a machine, and we have countless examples going back generations of supreme athletes who have lined up at Comrades with tired legs and paid for it.

The race is unique. Not only is it contested over approximately 86km, but the course is brutal, and if you are not fresh at the start, the last 30km are going to be a nightmare.

Steyn has already proved she can win the Two Oceans and Comrades double in the same year because she’s done it twice, and while she also raced Om Die Dam, she is so good that she’s likely to do it again.

Even if she can power through and win Comrades, however, she has a two-month turnaround before the Olympic marathon in Paris, and that’s where I’m worried the wheels will come off.

Olympic medal

I’ve been told I’m being too ambitious, but on the challenging course in warm conditions at the Games, I really believe Steyn has a chance (albeit relatively slim) to pick up a medal.

The club versus country debate is not new to sport, but it’s not one which is often raised in athletics.

And we can’t blame Steyn if she chooses her club. Comrades is extremely lucrative – she has the potential to earn more than R2 million this weekend – and she’s a professional athlete who makes a living from the sport.

Comrades is also a safer bet than the Olympic Games, where even a gold medal would earn her less money than a Comrades victory. In addition, her sponsors get coverage at Comrades, which they don’t get at the Games.

Hoping I’m wrong

The only issue is that, by racing Comrades, she is unlikely to be at her best in Paris and her slim chance of a medal will probably evaporate.

All this said, I do hope I’m wrong and Steyn makes me eat my words. I hope she smashes it on Sunday and puts up a real fight at the Olympics.

I’d rather be called a sexist armchair critic in the peanut gallery and watch her succeed than be proved right and watch her struggle.