Gerda Steyn yet to receive Soweto Marathon prize money

Steyn, who made her debut at the People’s Race on 29 November 2025, says she has received neither payment nor communication from the organisers. 

Steyn believes the organisers have let down the athletes.

"You are correct it's almost to the date, one year and there's been absolutely no communication about the payments or absolutely no payments done. I don't even know that's still a discussion that we are having,” Steyn said.

“For me, it's incredibly disappointing, it was a tough road for me to get to the start of Soweto as well. The uncertainty of whether the race was even going ahead or not was in the air but I just decided I'm going to back the race. 

“I was really, really looking forward to running a home marathon last year and when Cape Town got cancelled immediately I wanted to run the Soweto Marathon. I wanted to support them, I knew that the race wasn't in a good space but I still wanted to support them but now looking back 12 months later and the way we've been almost forgotten about. 

“Never having any communication in terms of the payment of the prize monies. It's incredibly disappointing and I don't know what to say. It's really sad, we were hoping that they'll be people bigger than the race will be stepping in and there were some indications that that might happen but up till now there's been absolutely nothing."

READ: AmaZulu striker Thando Ngwenya aware of growing attention from opponents

The two-time Olympian says the Soweto Marathon prize-money saga has exposed serious concerns about the management of one of South Africa’s most popular road races. 

Steyn believes the damage goes beyond the money owed to athletes, warning that the failure to honour commitments threatens the running community and the reputation of the People’s Race. 

While she is trying to move on from the disappointment, she says the organisers’ failure to pay has left a bitter lesson for the sport.

"I think the biggest lesson that we had to learn there is just the fact that we as a country we can build something so incredible. We've got such a community, if I just look at the running community we stand together. We will support everything and anything, we're proudly South African,” she added.

“We are proud of what we've built, we're proud of our community, we'll come together on any given day if you call us together and if you set up a place for us to run but then to put our hands in an unreliable source is disappointing. 

“It's not good for the community, yes the prize money is one thing but the community is also sad about it because it was a race and it is a race that we are proud of that we want to see on the calendar every year but the way it is it's just mismanagement and it's really disappointing."