Records tumble as Kusche stuns field and Steyn claims historic fifth Comrades title

For the first time in 18 years, the men’s Comrades Marathon “up run” record has fallen, and it was South Africa’s very own George Kusche who obliterated it in the race’s 99th edition on 14 June.

After biding his time for much of the race, Kusche produced a tactical masterclass to storm to victory with a time of 5:15:56, smashing Russian Leonid Shvetsov’s 2008 record of 5:24:49 by almost nine minutes.

The Netherlands’ Piet Wiersma finished in second, while Mbuti Mollo of South Africa, the last survivor of the early breakaways, came third.

The entire top five finished inside the previous record, with Japan’s Haruki Okayama, in fifth, coming under the mark by just three seconds.

Attention then turned to road-running queen Gerda Steyn, who retained her Comrades Marathon title for a historic fourth consecutive win and fifth overall.

Steyn conquered the 85.777km route, breaking her “up run” record for the third time, by five minutes.

With this win, Steyn also makes history by becoming just the second woman and seventh runner overall to achieve five wins in the history of the race.

“Honestly, it means the world to me [to have five wins],” said Steyn after the race. “I put every ounce of myself into this, preparing for the race and being ready and healthy on the start line. Then to reap the rewards, it’s a feeling that I can’t describe.”

Zimbabwe’s Nobukhosi Tshuma finished second in just her second Comrades, more than eight minutes behind the dominant Steyn, while South Africa’s Irvette van Zyl held on to secure the final podium spot.

The route, which started at Durban City Hall and finished at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg, measured 85.777km, making it the shortest Comrades “up run” in recent history. The reduced distance certainly aided the speedy times across the men’s and women’s races.

‘I couldn’t believe it’

This is only Kusche’s second Comrades and his maiden “up run”. Last year, the 27-year-old ran his first Comrades, but suffered an upset stomach. He recovered well and finished in 12th place.

Hailing from Mpumalanga, Kusche began his athletics career on the track, specialising in the 800m and 1,500m, and became South African champion over both distances. After high school, he spent four years in the United States studying while continuing to compete at a high level.

Upon returning to South Africa in 2023, Kusche, who is now a data scientist by day, took an extended break from athletics before switching his focus to road running. After building experience in 10km races and half marathons, he made his marathon debut at the Cape Town Marathon in 2024 with the goal of qualifying for Comrades.

This year alone, Kusche won the Biogen 21km in January in course-record time, claimed victory at the Balwin Run Series Peninsula Marathon in February and finished fourth at the Two Oceans Marathon in April.

Similarly to his debut Comrades, Kusche struggled with stomach problems, but he pushed through well enough to hold off the chasing pack. It was only in the final 10km of the race that Kusche took the definitive lead.

“I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it,” said Kusche after the race, visibly emotional. “When I saw two kilometres to go, I just didn’t believe it. I’m so grateful.”

Early breakaways

Before Kusche took the lead, the men’s leaders swapped several times.

Mahau Rasogo led through the opening stages, but his blistering pace ended up as the cause of his demise as cramps forced him out, handing the lead to Samuel Moloi.

Moloi remained in front for much of the next 20km before dropping out shortly before Cato Ridge – the 57km mark – allowing Mollo to take over.

However, in the final quarter of the race, Mollo began to take strain and started walking at regular intervals. At one point, it appeared he might also withdraw, but he persevered.

The race had been billed as a heavyweight clash between defending “up run” champion Wiersma and 2025 winner Tete Dijana. Instead, Dijana placed 49th with uncertainty over what went wrong.

Like Kusche, Wiersma was also tactical in his approach. Running as low as 10th early on, he gradually worked his way through the field before overtaking Mollo to secure second place. Although unable to defend his title, he finished more than five-and-a-half minutes faster than his winning time in 2024.

No mistakes

Unlike in previous years, Steyn had company deep into the course. Tshuma kept stride with Steyn and even dictated the pace all through Drummond (halfway) and Inchanga.

The trademark smile synonymous with Steyn gave way to a rare grimace as the women approached Cato Ridge.

“I was quite aware of what was going on around me, and I knew that the athletes running with me were serious,” said Steyn. “They weren’t running outside of their comfort and so for me it was a matter of making sure I make no mistakes and run within myself.

“But it is good for the race to have such competition. It will only grow from here on, and it’s a pleasure to see and a pleasure to be a part of it.”

However, with less than 26km to go, Steyn shook off Tshuma, who was visibly struggling, a striking contrast to Steyn’s strong metronome.

Steyn’s smile returned when she crossed the finish line, making history once again.

“I had a plan in mind,” she said. “I had more or less a time in mind, but of course I had to see how the race went first. I can’t just follow the plan against all odds.

“But I managed to feel quite comfortable staying on plan and on pace, and a new record today is so special because everyone gets to celebrate it with me.” DM