A social running crew based in Durban, Izitebele is a crew that believes you should never run alone. Founded in 2021 post the COVID pandemic as a space for runners to train together, it started with four but has grown to over 150 dedicated members. We look at this Run Crew and what they bring to the KZN running scene.
Christopher-Luke Peers had a severe stroke in 2023, waking up with half his body paralysed, he thought his life was over. But with a quiet determination, he came back, learning to walk, speak, and even how to use a spoon. Fast forward a year, Christopher finished half Ironman! This year he has doubled the stakes going further than he ever thought possible.
adidas is excited to announce the release of the first episode of their brand campaign, ‘Plus One Effect’. The six-part series explores the stories of distinguished athletes and the vital role of their ‘Plus Ones’, the supporters who shaped their journeys from the sideline. Their presence changes the game, turning doubt into confidence and pressure into joy.
Building onto the success of the 2024 ‘You Got This’ launch, the 2025 campaign highlights the power of encouragement, revealing that 4 in 5 athletes face unhelpful sideline behavior, which can lead them to leave sports. Rooted in the universal truth that every athlete needs someone in their corner, the campaign highlights how a strong support system can be the difference between success and self-doubt. As one of South Africa’s most celebrated long-distance runners, Gerda’s story is deeply rooted in the local running community. With five consecutive victories at the Two Oceans Marathon, Gerda is ready to chase her sixth, backed by the unwavering support of those who believe in her. While her determination and training have shaped her success, her story proves that behind every athlete, there’s a ‘Plus One’ cheering them on.
Gerda’s journey is one of resilience, dedication, and an unshakable belief in what’s possible – one she hasn’t taken alone. At the heart of her success is her husband, Duncan Ross, who has been by her side every step of the way. From handling race-day logistics and refining training plans to pacing her runs by cycling alongside her, assisting with nutrition and hydration, and keeping her motivated during the long miles, his support has been instrumental to her journey.
Gerda is celebrated as a three-time Comrades Marathon champion, five-time Two Oceans Marathon winner, course record holder, and two-time Olympian (Marathon – 2021/2024). Yet, behind her remarkable achievements, Duncan’s invaluable role often goes unnoticed. She attributes much of her success to the constant belief and encouragement from those working behind the scenes, demonstrating that a strong support system drives every record-breaking performance. “Running has been a journey we’ve embarked on together. From my early days as a social runner to making the leap into professional running, Duncan has been by my side through it all,” says Gerda Steyn. “The highs in this sport are incredible, but the lows can be tough. Having Duncan there through every triumph and setback has made all the difference.”
Gerda is not just running for her sixth title; she is running to inspire. She trusts in the adidas Adizero Pro 4, the world’s most winning marathon shoe, engineered for speed and peak performance, giving her the confidence to push beyond limits.
‘Plus One’ is more than an adidas global campaign; it’s a tribute to the people who make every win possible. adidas aims to spark a global movement of positivity, reminding every athlete that belief starts from the sidelines. After all, we all need someone to make us believe… you got this!
For more information on the adidas ‘You Got This’ campaign visit https://www.adidas.co.za/yougotthis.html. To watch Gerda and Duncan’s story, visit https://www.youtube.com/@adidas/.
Last month we ran a feature on Erin losing her leg to lupus, and her inspirational entry into running. Speaking to Erin afterwards we realised there was a lot more to tell, and the best way to do that is to give Erin her own column. So expect more inspiration every month from Erin herself.
Hey Athletes… fancy putting that endurance to the test in a whole new way?
Introducing: Deadly Dozen. South Africa’s exciting new fitness racing event is heading to Johannesburg on Saturday, 3 May 2025, at the Ruimsig Athletic Stadium — and trust us, you’ve never raced like this before.
Here’s the breakdown: 4.8KM of running journeys. 12 killer workout labours in between. One seriously electric atmosphere that’ll leave your legs burning and your endorphins soaring.
Each labour is designed to test a different aspect of your fitness — from leg burning lounges, burpee broad jumps, and killer bear crawls, to overhead carries, devil presses, and more. You’ll be sprinting, sweating, and shouting “what the hell was that?” with the best of them — and loving every second.
Why should YOU take this on?
Whether you’re a seasoned road warrior, a trail junkie, or just someone who loves a good old-fashioned “sufferfest” with friends — Deadly Dozen is calling.
You’ll walk away with:
More than 80% of tickets are already gone, and waves are filling fast — so don’t snooze on this one!
JOIN THE FITNESS RACING REVOLUTION:
ENTER NOW
on webtickets:
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1564754406
More info: www.deadlydozen.co.za
Deadly Dozen isn’t just a race. It’s a full-send, full-body, full-beast experience. Come for the run. Stay for the burn. Leave with the stories.
We’ll see you at the start line in Jozi.
The inaugural Track+Field series is expected to close in spectacular fashion this week when the National Final is held at the University of Johannesburg Athletics Stadium on Thursday and Friday.
The memorable opening campaign saw over 4 100 athletes from 240 schools across the country competing at nine provincial events over the last two months.
These meetings provided a rare opportunity for some of South Africa’s smaller athletics schools to compete against the nation’s top institutions, while also giving young athletes a chance to showcase their talent.
With the top boys and schools at each provincial leg qualifying for the two-day T+F National Final, the best track and field schools in the country will now be crowned at the National Final.
Over 500 athletes from 17 different schools will turn out at UJ Stadium.
“We are thrilled to be able to crown the first T+F national champions, and we are expecting a close competition between South Africa’s top track and field schools,” said T+F series co-founder and former Olympic sprinter Mathew Quinn.
“This series has unearthed some incredible talent around the country, and we are looking forward to giving the best performing schools an opportunity to compete against each other in the search for the overall T+F champions.”
The National Final of the T+F series – a joint venture between SuperSport, SA Schools Athletics and Athletics South Africa – will be broadcasted live on SuperSport Variety 4 (channel 209) and the SuperSport Schools app.
The competition will be held between 3.30pm-6.30pm on Thursday, 10 April and between 1.30pm and 6pm on Friday, 11 April.
The programme will feature 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and relay races, as well as long jump, shot put and javelin throw contests.
Participating schools, T+F National Final
Hoërskool Diamantveld
Capricorn High School
Vryburg High School
TuksSport High School
Rand Park High School
Hoërskool Voortrekker
Queen’s College
Cambridge High School
Rob Ferreira High School
Penryn College
Maritzburg College
Hoërskool Suid Natal
Hilton College
St Anne’s Diocesan College
Bergvliet High School
Hoërskool Stellenbosch
Barkly East High School
Champions, Rory has an important message for all of you, we have all done it, run that race we shouldn’t for one reason or another. His story serves as a warning to all of you, as much as you think you can, sometimes you shouldn’t.
Akani Simbine finally has an individual medal from a major championship.
That’s after the 31-year-old stormed to third place in the 60m final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China on Friday.
The Pretoria sprinter was, of course, the protagonist in leading the South African team to a 4x100m relay silver medal at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
But, after coming so close at various major championships over the last decade, Friday’s performance saw Akani securing his first-ever individual podium place at a global event.
Britain’s Jeremiah Azu equalled his personal best to take the gold in a time of 6.49 seconds with Australian Lachlan Kennedy second by just one-hundredth of a second and Akani third in 6.54.
This is the first time Akani has competed at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, having only run one race indoors in the build-up to the event.
“It’s really good to get the medal as this is my first indoor championship ever in my life,” said an ecstatic Akani afterwards. “Coming in, running and getting a medal, I cannot ask for anything more.
“I came with no expectations, only trying to see how far I can get in this run. I had never done this before, it’s all different, it’s all new.”
He added that there is still work plenty of work to be done ahead of the outdoor season.
“Confidence-wise, this is bringing me up, but also, there is something I need to further work on, like the first 10 metres in the beginning of the race, and that would leave me less work to do at the end. I am now looking forward to the season and growing in the season and getting better.”
Earlier in the day, Prudence Sekgodiso ran a controlled race to claim victory in her 800m heat, winning in a time of 2:03.89.
That saw the 23-year-old Olympic finalist qualifying sixth fastest for the semifinals which are scheduled for the early hours of Saturday morning, South African time. The final will be contested on Sunday afternoon.
Just two other South Africans are competing in Nanjing. Cheswill Johnson will be in action in the long jump and Chris van Niekerk in the shot put – both on Sunday.
Sprint sensation Bayanda Walaza was the star of the show at the second ASA Grand Prix meet of the season at the University of Johannesburg on Wednesday night with rising hurdles star Tumi Ramokgopa also in record-breaking form.
After becoming the first SA junior ever to dip under 10 seconds in the 100m last weekend, Bayanda put himself to the test over 200m in Joburg and duly delivered in chilly conditions. The 19-year-old powered to victory ahead of a field that included Luxolo Adams to win in a new SA junior record of 20.08 seconds. That saw him taking two hundredths of a second off the previous mark set by Clarence Munyai back in 2017.
“It wasn’t great weather, but I believe once you’re fast you don’t need to complain about anything… You cannot control how the weather is so it’s better to make it work for you,” he said afterwards.
As for breaking Clarence’s national junior record, Bayanda reckoned: “He said if I break his record, there will be something that I’ll get from him… He’s the one who said: ‘Bra, my record has been standing there for so long. What’s taking you so long to break it?’”
Earlier in the evening, Tumi was ecstatic after a second-place finish behind Olympic semifinalist Marioné Fourie in the 100m hurdles. Fourie won the race in 12.69 with Tumi second in a new SA junior record of 13.22 seconds.
“I am overwhelmed, I am in disbelief. Honestly, I did know that when I’m running against Marioné, she’s going to push me to that SA record but I didn’t think of a 13.2. It’s big, it means a lot and I didn’t expect to break it in my first year as a junior,” said the elated 17-year-old afterwards.
Marioné, whose time was the quickest she’s run on home soil, dedicated the win to her coach Jaun Strydom who passed away last week. Marioné decided to forgo the World Athletics Indoor Championships in China to attend his funeral on Friday.
“I think he would be very proud of this race,” she said fighting back the tears.
Another teenager showing fine form on the night was SA’s 400m world junior champion Udeme Okon. The 19-year-old outpaced two-time Olympian Lythe Pillay to win the 400m in a new personal best of 45.27 seconds. Lythe was second in 45.74.
“It was a great experience. He [Lythe] is one of the guys we look up to and want to compete against him,” said Okon afterwards. “He’s been to the Olympics and we know he’s more experienced. It’s just the thing of going out there and challenging him like we did today and showing them that the juniors are here and we’re here to dominate as well.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s 400m, Zeney Geldenhuys was pushed all the way by two of the teammates she set a new national 4x400m relay record with last week in Pretoria – Shirley Nekhubui and Marlie Viljoen. Zeney took the win in 51.26 seconds with Shirley second in 51.42 and Marlie third in 51.85.
St Benedict’s College has once again solidified its unrivalled legacy in South African school rowing, claiming the national championship title for an extraordinary 31st consecutive year. At the prestigious annual schools’ regatta earlier this month, the Johannesburg-based boy’s school demonstrated remarkable dominance, securing first place in the majority of events despite formidable competition. The Bennies rowers outperformed elite teams from across South Africa’s top rowing schools, further cementing their pedigree in the sport’s national landscape.
The prestigious three-day national regatta unfolded at Roodeplaat Dam, where crews representing 33 boys’ and girls’ schools and clubs from around South Africa and Zimbabwe converged in fierce competition. The atmosphere crackled with intensity as spectators witnessed athletes pushing their physical and mental limits in pursuit of victory. Among the 784 competing boys, each team arrived with one goal: to claim the championship and dethrone the reigning champions.
Yet St Benedict’s extraordinary commitment prevailed once again. Their countless hours of rigorous training – both on water and land – proved decisive in securing their victory. The shared determination to defend their coveted title created an unbreakable bond among the Bennies rowers. For the graduating seniors, the regatta marked a poignant conclusion to their school rowing careers, adding emotional depth to an already triumphant performance.
Commenting on the win, St Benedict’s old boy and head of the school’s rowing club, Darryn Roff says, “Thirty-one years of success isn’t easy – it requires extraordinary dedication from our boys. Despite winning becoming the norm, these young men continuously carry the weight of a legacy on their shoulders.
“During the regatta weekend, our U14s broke the course record in the octuple despite conditions that weren’t favourable for record-breaking. They also managed to secure first and second places in the quad, along with an exceptional clean sweep of first, second, and third in the U14 scull – a tremendous showing from our young rowers,” added Roff.
Roff went on to say that the first eight and U16 eight won by emphatic margins. Additionally, for the first time since 1996, St Benedict’s claimed victory in the first sculling event, with Michael Teixeira (Grade 11) achieving what was last accomplished by Athol Hundermark, who has since gone on to coach winning Henley Royal Regatta crews and now works at Shrewsbury School in the UK.”
The school placed first in the U14, U16 and Open age groups. The tightly contested and highly prized 1st Eight race, often described as the main event of the weekend, also went to St Benedict’s. When all the scores were tallied, St Benedict’s was recognised as South Africa’s top boys’ rowing school winning with 466 points.
Strong Competition
Speaking about the win, College Head Dave Jeffrey emphasises, “St Benedict’s long- standing reputation as one of South Africa’s rowing powerhouses has been reaffirmed by this victory. Our 31-year streak isn’t luck – it’s built on unwavering dedication, with our boys training rigorously at dawn and dusk, both on and off the water. Their sacrifices and perseverance have yielded extraordinary results that make us immensely proud. Behind this success stands the commitment of coaches and parents, alongside our continuous investment in rowing as our flagship sport. Parents know that when their child signs up for the sport, the whole family becomes a rowing family. From early morning drop-offs to the extensive travel to reach training venues and regattas and more. It’s a massive commitment.”
Adding to this Jeffrey says that this winning culture naturally attracts participation, with a remarkable percentage of boys choosing rowing as their summer pursuit. “We’re particularly excited about the transformation we’re witnessing in the sport, with diverse representation across all boat classes, age groups, and coaching staff – a development we’ve intentionally cultivated and celebrate.”
Culture of Rowing
Roff adds, “Success in rowing demands both hard work and persistence. Our training is scientifically grounded and enriched by years of experience, while our mentoring approach instils deep self-belief in our athletes. This combination – the Bennies way – has proven remarkably effective. Our rowing culture, continuously supported by school management and shaped significantly by old boys who’ve returned as coaches, has fostered diligence, teamwork, unwavering dedication, and a commitment to building lasting legacy. Over the years, St Benedict’s has produced numerous top South African rowers and international university athletes – a tradition we’re determined to perpetuate.”
In closing, Jeffrey reflects, “Watching our boys row is truly a sight to behold. They transform into a single, seamlessly functioning unit – poetry in motion, a symphony of synchronised blades that propelled them to the podium. Congratulations to these remarkable young men; your achievement stands as a milestone for St Benedict’s and will be celebrated for years to come.”
The 2025 Champions across the categories:
Around 80 officials were part of the day’s proceedings with 3 600 spectators supporting the 1 177 athletes (393 girls and 784 boys) who participated in the 2025 South African Rowing Championships.
Best Co-ed School (4)
3rd St Dunstan’s
2nd Germiston High School
1st Somerset College
Best Girls School (8)
3rd St Stithians Girls College
2nd St Mary’s School Waverley
1st St Andrew’s School for Girls
Best Boys School (13)
3rd St Alban’s College
2nd St John’s College
1st St Benedict’s College
For more on St Benedict’s rowing – go to www.stbenedicts.co.za or Facebook: @stbenedictscollegebedfordview.