The four-time Soweto Marathon champion took on the 98th edition of the iconic 89 kilometre down run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban's People's Park at KwaZulu-Natal province as a novice on Sunday.

Despite facing difficult conditions, Van Zyl delivered a remarkable performance, finishing fourth in a time of 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 35 seconds. Her strong showing earned her a gold medal and $9 000 in prize money.

Reflecting on the race, Van Zyl said, "It was hard, really hard. There are not a lot of races that I’ve done that took me through such tough times. From the start, I didn’t feel that pop and felt flat, and I thought maybe it was the hills making me feel that way. Through halfway, I had some stomach issues."

--ChannelAfrica--