After an outrageously successful career that has spanned more than two decades, Irvette van Zyl is finally ready to tackle the Comrades Marathon. Cuan Walker chats to her about her preperation.
In a career that has spanned over two decades already, Hollywood Athletics Club elite runner Irvette van Zyl has achieved it all. From national titles on the track, cross country and on the road, to representing the country multiple times at both the World Championships and Olympic games and breaking the world record over 50km. Only one race seems to be missing from her remarkable CV… the Comrades Marathon. All that changes in 2025.
It’s early in the morning and residents in Pretoria East have become accustomed to see the blonde wavy hair flying by as van Zyl glides over the tarmac. Juggling the responsibilities of a professional athlete and full time mom can be tough. “I must say that it is quite a juggling act, especially as the boys get older,” said van Zyl. “When they were newborns and still toddlers, it was a lot easier to get the training in, but now that they have their own sports they compete in and also a lot of homework, I have to be there for them and still cook dinner, then clean up and fit whatever training be it weight training or the watt bike still in the evening. As tough as it is, my kids always come first,” explained van Zyl who is married to multiple Olympian and former World championships 400m hurdles medallist LJ van Zyl.
There are no luxuries such as high altitude training camps and everything is done from home. “I have previously tried to fit in a camp here or there when it is school holidays but it is never long enough so I make do with everything that I have.” After a successful career which has seen van Zyl move from the track to the road and eventually the marathon and the ultras, each time van Zyl has stepped up, she has performed. Boasting an incredibly fast 2:26:11 marathon PB, van Zyl made the move up to the ultras back in 2019 when she took on the Two Oceans Marathon. It was a podium finish from the start which saw her finish second in 3:41:31. Covid then came around but in 2021, van Zyl chose to run the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers 50km instead of Two Oceans and it was a move that paid off, with van Zyl breaking the women’s only 50km World record.
Returning to Two Oceans in 2022, van Zyl ran the race of her life, breaking the long standing 1989 course record of Frith van der Merwe’s untouchable 3:30:36. However, for van Zyl on the day, she finished an agonisingly close second to new teammate Gerda Steyn who went into the lead with less than 3km to go. An injury prevented van Zyl from returning in 2023, but she was back last year and ran even quicker than she did previously, but was again only good enough for second on the day, behind Steyn once again.
“As much as I am making the step up to Comrades this year, Two Oceans still remains the number one focus currently and this is the first time I am starting the build-up well rested and without any niggles or injuries like I have in the past,” she said.
“The thought of Comrades scares me but that is a good thing because I always like taking on something challenging that I can be proud of myself once I have achieved it.” Van Zyl already has a family connection to the Comrades Marathon. Besides her father and uncle participating, in 1992 her Godmother Frances van Blerk won! “I have been thinking of Comrades already since 2020 but she was against it at the time because she said I was too fast still over the shorter stuff to take on the challenge,” laughs Irvette. Now though, Frances believes it’s time.
“It is quite funny because she started running the year that I was born and I started running the same year that she won Comrades,” recalls van Zyl. “I have the utmost respect for everyone that has done the race and I hope that the stars align and I can also add my name to the history books of the event.”
For an athlete who has previously been on the brink of retirement before due to injuries, not many come tougher than van Zyl.
“A comeback from injury is tough, but it is tougher not giving it another shot. Focus on the journey of the process, and not the progress of it.” The Hollywood Athletics Club has their strongest ever women’s team gearing up for what should be a humdinger of a race on 8 June 2025.
