Cape Town — A “loaded field” filled with Olympic and world championship medallists will fuel Gerda Steyn’s bid for the New York Marathon title in November.
The 32-year-old South African record-holder announced on social media this week that she will contest the famous event in the Big Apple on 6 November.
That means that she won’t defend her title at the Comrades Marathon in Durban, which takes place on 28 August this year — having won the last edition in 2019.
I'm so excited to be back for the 2022 #TCSNYCMarathon !!! 🥳🥳 Let's Gooo!!!! 🍏✌🏾🗽 https://t.co/nUsPBrMlbk
“Race Announcement !!! You’ve guessed it ... or maybe you didn’t!!? Here it is anyway ... 6 November 2022: NEW YORK MARATHON!!! Beyond excited to share with you that I’ll be packing my big girl shoes to toe the line at @nycmarathon 2022,” Steyn posted on Facebook.
“A loaded women’s field as expected once again to add to the excitement and thrill (as if I needed any more!)
“It goes without saying that I won’t be running the Comrades down run this year, and believe me, I feel the FOMO, but the spirit of Comrades is that it’s never about the individual, so therefore I am excited to watch and cheer my lungs out for everyone on race day!!
“In the meantime, I am working HARD so that I can bring my very best, and make you proud in the city of dreams. See you soon, NYC!!
“Follow me as I prepare for the biggest and best marathon in the world!!! #bigappleenergy #smallfishbigapple #tcsnycmarathon2022 #itwillmoveyou.”
Indeed, Steyn has been preparing for the big race since winning the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town in April.
She took part in the Great Manchester Run 10km event in May, where she finished 10th in a time of 33 minutes and 42 seconds, with Kenyan 5 000m Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri winning in 30:15.
Steyn then made her way to Durban for a 10km race in July, where she again ended 10th in a slightly slower time of 33:53. Another Kenyan, Jesca Chelangat, set a new SA all-comers record of 30:41.
Steyn has spent the last few weeks in the French Alps, getting in her high altitude training in preparation for New York, with an elevation of over 4 800m.
That will come in handy in the November event, where she will come up against some of the leading figures from the marathon world.
Heading that list is Tokyo Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, who has the quickest personal best in the field of 2hr 17min 16sec.
Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase won the women’s marathon at the recent World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in a new meeting record of 2:18:11, so she will also be a title contender in New York, while bronze medallist Lonah Salpeter of Israel is also in the field.
Obiri, who claimed the 10 000m silver medal in Oregon, will also make her marathon debut in New York.
Steyn finished in 15th position with a time of 2:32:10 — which was well short of her SA record of 2:25:28 — in hot and humid conditions at the Tokyo Olympic marathon, and will hope to go even better in New York.
IOL Sport