By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
South African Tete Dijana won his third Comrades Marathon title in an unoffical time of five hours, 25 minutes 27 (5:25:28) in a tense finish in Durban on Sunday.
Dijana crossed the finish line ahead of Piet Wiersma, who won the race last year. Dijana won the race twice — in 2022 and 2023 — but finished 14th last year.
Russian runner Nikolai Volkov (5:29:22) came from nowhere to end in third place in his second Comrades, holding off 2019 up run victor Edward Mothibi in fourth (5:31:43).
The 2025 race was run over 89.98km, about 2km more than the last down run in 2023 won by Dijana.
Meanwhile Gerda Steyn won the 2025 Women’s race. Steyn finished the race in 05:51:19 and she is the current record holder of the Comrades up and down runs.
The wily ultra star went out at a steady pace, content to let Elizabeth Mukoloma lead the way in the early stages of the race.
At the 2h42 mark, Steyn finally caught Mukoloma as she took the lead in emphatic style on the descent down to Drummond on a steep downhill. The only thing Mukoloma could do was watch as Steyn quickly became a tiny figure in the distance.
Her consistent dominance in the Two Oceans Marathon and Comrades continues to cement her status as one of the greatest ultramarathoners of her generation.
Final top finishers:
Men:
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Tete Dijana (SA) – 5:25:28
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Piet Wiersma (Netherlands) – 5:25:33
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Nikolai Volkov (Russia) – 5:29:42
Women:
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Gerda Steyn (SA) – 05:51:19
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Alexandra Morozova (Russia)
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Shelmith Muriuki (Kenya)
The Comrades Marathon 2025 prize money is equal for both male and female elite athletes, emphasizing gender parity in one of the world’s most prestigious ultramarathons.