This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Ultramarathon Champion Gerda Steyn, who currently holds the titles to the Comrades Marathon and Two Oceans Marathon. We discuss her tremendous success in a relatively nascent career of just six years and her vision for the future as she prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She shares her journey from quantity surveyor to professional athlete, including the transformation of her microcosm to optimise performance on the road. We discuss some of the dynamics of running, such as the team aspect of the sport, physical endurance and importantly mental strength – as the mind controls the body.  Gerda reflects on the history of competitive marathon running for women, explaining that women were barred, because of the perception that they were physically incapable of running long distances. In 1967 Katherine Switzer triggered an equality movement through her official entry to the Boston Marathon and completion of the event despite attempts to haul her off the track. Today female marathon runners are free to nurture their talent competitively, they earn equivalent prize money to their male counterparts and now receive equal exposure from broadcasters. Tune in for more…

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