Ethiopian athlete Tadu Nare (Nedbank Running Club) will line up in the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park on Sunday having already clinched her third consecutive SPAR Grand Prix title. This is set to be a triumphal finale for the young runner, who has dominated South Africa’s premier women’s road running series since racing returned after the Covid shutdown.
Under the revised SPAR Grand Prix rules this year, where an athlete’s best 4 results in the 6-part series count, Nare’s full-house of 120 points from 4 consecutive bonus-points wins, cannot be beaten. She thus becomes the third person, after Rene Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl, to win the title three times and will take home a whopping R200 000 for her efforts.
After 3 years dominating the series, the South African road running fraternity has embraced the shy young athlete, who now considers South Africa to be “my second home.” At the same time, even at such a young age, Nare has also become a major player on the international marathon circuit.
Fellow-Ethiopian Selam Gebre (Nedbank) is similarly certain of finishing second after collecting 116 points in her 4 top finishes. She will earn R100 000 for her efforts.
Although it appears that there is a tight contest for third place between Lesotho runner Blandina Makatisi (Maxed Elite), who has 109 points, and former SPAR Grand Prix winner Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) with 108, the fact that Xaba will not be running on Sunday means that Makatisi is certain to finish third. There’s plenty at stake here as well, third place being worth R75 000.
Under the revised 4-races-to-count rule, it is now possible for athletes who have other commitments to remain competitive in the six-race competition.
The top South African runners will also compete for a top prize of R75 000 in addition to the money they win in the main SPAR Grand Prix. Xaba is on course to pocket this prize, as she is 28 points ahead of the next South African, Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer). The second placed South African will win an additional R50 000 and R30 000 is on the table for the local runner who finishes third.
Sunday’s race will be the first race open to the public since the pandemic and just over 8000 women and girls are expected to take part. The course takes the runners through some of Jozi’s most attractive leafy suburbs and includes some tough hills. There will also be a 5km Fun Run.
Late entries can be made on site at Marks Park Sporting Club, Thursday to Saturday (28-30 September 2023) between 10h00 and 18h00 and on race day, Sunday morning (1 October 2023) between 06h00 and 07h30.
2023 SPAR GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
Cape Town – Sunday, 23 April 2023 – Green Point Precinct
Gqeberha – Saturday, 27 May 2023 – Pollok Beach, Summerstrand
Durban – Sunday, 25 June 2023 – Kings Park Stadium
Mbombela – Saturday, 15 July 2023 – Mbombela Stadium
Tshwane – Saturday, 5 August 2023 – SuperSport Park
Joburg – Sunday, 1 October 2023 – Marks Park Sporting Club