Fewer foreigners racing has helped put SA women back on Comrades map: De Oliveira

Comrades Marathon multiple gold medallist Grace de Oliveira believes the declining interest in South African ultra-marathons by international women runners has made it easier for local athletes to shine.

De Oliveira, who backs local road running sensation Gerda Steyn to smash Frith van der Merwe's 34-year-old Down Run record on July 11, has stressed how tough it was for South African women runners to break into Comrades top 10 during her competitive era.

In recent years, the number of South African women in the top 10 has increased significantly, with seven locals making that grade last year.

That is the second-highest number after 2016 when eight South Africans made the women’s top 10, while there were five in 2017, 2018 and 2019. For the years before that it was a rare thing to have five South Africans among the first 10 finishers, as foreign raiders plundered Comrades medals.

“I think there are not too many foreigners coming out any more, so I think it left it quite open for South Africans to do well,” De Oliveira said.

“I remember when I was running Comrades, most of the top 10 were all foreigners — Russians or Germans.

“It made it difficult for South Africans to finish in the top 10, whereas now the overseas contingent is not as strong as it was before.”

De Oliveira ran her first Comrades in 1999, at 37, and completed a total of 10 until she was 47, with her best finish being second place in her first outing. She won seven gold medals. As a veteran, the 61-year-old does not run races longer than 10km.

During her 10 years of running the Comrades, no South African was able to win the race as foreigners dominated the race from 1999 until 2014.

In 2015, Caroline Wöstmann broke the international runners' stranglehold. Since then, local runners have won three of the last five races, with Charné Bosman, Ann Ashworth and Steyn keeping the title at home.

Even in the years where foreigners dominated, they failed to break Van der Merwe’s 1989 Down Run record of 5 hours 54 minutes 43 seconds.

De Oliveira has backed in-form Up Run record-holder and 2023 Two Oceans winner Steyn, who missed last year’s Down Run, to beat that mark on the short, 87.701km course in 2023.

“I definitely think Gerda has the ability to break that record. I think it will go,” the veteran runner said.

Steyn, 33, is in the form of her life and bettered her 2022 Two Oceans ultra-marathon record running a time of 3:29:06 this year.   

De Oliveira ran her 100th Spar 10km race in Gqeberha at the weekend.

“It was an incredible moment to have that reception at the end of my 100th race, especially since I didn’t feel that race. I didn’t have a great day,” she said.

“Obviously I'm unhappy with my time, in fact I walked on two occasions because I wasn’t feeling great and my chest was burning and I couldn’t breathe properly.

“I walked so I could save myself in that last kilometre to actually finish and cross the line because I knew I had to do it. Not that I have ever bailed on any race, and that was not going to happen [in Gqeberha].

“I think right from that first [Spar] race it was just a brand I wanted to be involved with because it stood for women.

“To me the presence of all these beautiful women, going away to the different races with teammates and turning up for the [Spar] Ladies was just really appealing to me and it just kept me going all these years.

“It has kept me young, alive and I look forward to it.”

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