The 31st running of Nelson Mandela Bay’s most beautiful road race will feature brand-new courses for both the elite and social fields this spring.
Besides moving the event from May to September, organisers of the SPAR Women’s Challenge have redesigned the 10km loop to help Grand Prix Series participants achieve faster times.
In the process, the 5km has also received a makeover.
Save for the pandemic years when the race took place virtually, the route from Pollok Beach has remained largely unchanged in recent years.
However, that will all change on September 21 when the 2024 edition goes down a different road.
Those taking part in the 10km will no longer run along Strandfontein Road to La Roche Drive, which in the past brought them onto Beach Road and along Marine Drive back to the start/finish area.
After the gun, entrants will now head along Marine Drive instead of turning right into Admiralty Way. They continue until the turnaround point and then retrace their steps along the scenic oceanside road.
This means they approach Admiralty from the opposite side and therefore a left-turn brings them onto the road that leads towards the university.
From there, runners meander along Brighton Drive through suburban Summerstrand to exit onto Marine via 4th Avenue.
Here a left-turn takes participants past the Boardwalk precinct towards the next turning point on Beach Road, which brings them back to the race village on Marine Drive.
The route is bound to suit the likes of Nedbank Running Club’s Ethiopian sensation and three-time Grand Prix Series title winner Tadu Nare, who set the current course record of 31:35 last year.
On that occasion, she finished 18 seconds ahead of compatriot Selam Gebre.
Nare missed the Cape Town leg of this year’s Grand Prix due to injury but returned to take the honours in Durban recently.
Her coach and manager Belay Hagos Alemayehu confirmed that his charge would be back to defend her title.
Though she would run a marathon the week prior, he said she could well come up with the goods if she came through it without any trouble.
“If she comes fresh [to the Women’s Challenge] she will surely break last year’s time.”
The 5km, meanwhile, still has a largely suburban flavour. After the start, participants will now turn right into Admiralty.
From there they make a series of right turns into Erasmus, Tiran and Nobbs, which leads them into Bradley Road.
They exit Bradley left into Jenvey, turn right into 10th and left into Brighton. A right into 5th followed by another into Marine Drive brings everyone home.
The Women’s Challenge is a mainstay on the events calendar for bringing women (and the odd man in drag) together for a carnival-like day of fun.
The theme, #ChooseYou, calls for women to chase their dreams and empower themselves to inspire those around them.
SPAR Eastern Cape advertising manager Roseann Shadrach said the family retailer had recognised that women often prioritised the needs of others above their own.
By focusing on self-care, she believed that they would be even better placed to uplift others.