Tete Dijana who won the Comrades Marathon twice before has taken a third ‘run down’ victory on Sunday. Thirty-seven-year-old Dijana, won the race in 2022 and 2023. Dijana outpaced the clock in an official time of 5:25:28, with Dutchman Piet Wiersma second in 5:25:33. Russian Nikolai Volkov took third place at 5:29:42. The Comrades which is a national event got under way at 5:30 on Sunday in third place at Pietermaritzburg and will finish at the People’s Park outside Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. This year’s race which was recorded as 98th of all time, covered 89.98km.
South Africa’s ultramarathon runner Tete Dijana has claimed the men’s title at the 2025 Comrades Marathon. Dijana ran a commanding race from start to finish, crossing the line in spectacular fashion to secure his third Comrades victory. The Mahikeng resident first triumphed in 2022 and 2023, and today’s win cements his hat-trick of successes on the 89.98km route from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Dutchman Piet Wiersma left it too late to charge against Dijana. He finished second and Russian Nikolai Volkov was third. Dijana won in an unconfirmed time of 5hrs 25min 22sec as Wiersma finished behind him with just eleven seconds. Meanwhile, in the women’s race, 35-year-old Gerda Steyn made it four wins in the Comrades Marathon. She won in 5 hours, 51 minutes and 19 seconds. It was also Steyn’s slower than her down run record set in 2023 by 6 minutes and 25 seconds. Alexandra Morozova of Russia finished second.
Djana’s three times win is an incredible accomplishment. He overwhelmingly went against insurmountable odds beating other top runner athletes. The Comrades Marathon is a race that tests the limit of your capacity to run. The run from KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial capital to its chief port is no picnic. The race is about weeks of preparation and training. Competitiveness and concentration are key to keep running as well as building up endurance in running. Running in a significant sports race takes up a lot of training. The fact that Wiersma misjudged his situation when it came to overtaking Tjana shows that you can’t leave opportunity lying in wait when it presents itself. Running can be just as competitive as any other sport. This is true among both the men’s and women’s races. Gerda Steyn also has made it quite far would her own four wins. This is also a fine array of accomplishments and shows her own strength as a competitor.
In third place, Kenya’s Shelmith Muruiki made history as she became the first black woman to finish on the Comrades podium. South African Olympian Irvette van Zyl was fourth on her Comrades debut. “What a day out here. I was taken away by the amazing support of the crowd. It’s something I can’t explain in words… I hope that with my God-given talent I can inspire some young girls to aspire to one day be runners – even if it’s not as professionals,” said Steyn after her dominant performance. “As for the race? It went according to plan and I’m very pleased to have bettered my pace from two years ago. It was an excellent day… Judging by the depth of the field we saw today, we’ll see times decreasing more and more in the years to come,” Steyn added.
Running is an excellent sport with athletes competing and enables the body to keep fit. The Comrades encourages this. Irvette Van Zyl is a terrific athlete who will achieve her goals such as being an inspiring role model for girls. Shelmith Muruicki who came in third place too will serve as a shining example to all girls from across the continent who dream of competing the Comrades. Running in the comrades is a huge honour given how it serves as one of Africa’s most significant sporting events. The idea of running in a race promotes keeping a healthy lifestyle. Running is a sport in which both men and women can compete in. But not together. Running can help improve mobility in your legs. The weather on Sunday was excellent for the race. It was up to faith thou to determine who would make it to the People’s Park, at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
