Perfect Score In SPAR Grand Prix For History-making Glenrose Xaba

Glenrose Xaba from Boxer made history as the first South African to win the SPAR Women’s Challenge Grand Prix title since 2019, when international athletes were first allowed to compete in the series. Xaba secured her victory on Sunday with a strong performance in the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park.

Three-time SPAR Grand Prix champion, Tadu Nare from Nedbank, was bumped down to third place on the leaderboard by her fellow Ethiopian and teammate, Diniya Abaraya.

The Grand Prix winner is determined by each athlete’s top four performances, and Xaba finished with a perfect score of 120 points, earning maximum bonus points from all four of her wins. Xaba was also the last South African to win the SPAR Grand Prix, back in 2018.

Abaraya finished with 112 points, just one ahead of Nare, who had 111 points. Nare missed the Cape Town race, but won in Durban, placed third in Pretoria, and took second in Gqeberha and Johannesburg. Abaraya didn’t compete in the Tshwane race, but finished fifth in Durban, second in both Cape Town and Gqeberha, and third in Johannesburg. Currently, there is no Junior Grand Prix competition.

Cacisile Sosibo from Boxer came in fourth overall, with 72 points. Meanwhile, the Phalula twins, Diana-Lebo Phalula-Mzazi and Lebogang Phalula-Luthuli, also from Boxer, dominated the 40-49 age category. Phalula-Mzazi achieved a perfect score with four wins for a total of 40 points, while her sister earned 37 points with one win and four second-place finishes. Phalula-Mzazi finished seventh in the open category, and Phalula-Luthuli came in ninth.

In the 50-59 age group, Anne Stewart nearly had a perfect score, earning 39 points with three wins and one second-place finish. Judy Bird swept the 60-69 category, winning every race and securing the maximum points.

Tshwane Confirms SPAR Grand Prix Expectations

With her fourth consecutive win in the 2023 SPAR Grand Prix Series in Tshwane, two-time defending series champion Tadu Nare of Ethiopia wrapped up her third series win in a row. Meanwhile, the Tshwane leg of SPAR Women’s Challenge made a welcome return after its COVID-enforced hiatus, and thousands of women took to the roads for either a 10km or 5km outing.

SPAR Women's Challenge Celebrates 30 Years in Durban

SPAR Women’s Challenge Celebrates 30 Years in Durban

The oldest race in the SPAR Women’s Challenge series, the Durban race, turns 30 this year, and the organisers predict a fast and exciting race as part of the celebrations on Sunday 23 June.

The Durban Challenge takes place two weeks after South Africa’s most famous race, the Comrades Marathon, and many of the women who did well in the Comrades Marathon cut their road-running teeth on SPAR Challenge races. Gold medallists Jenna Challenor and Charne Bosman are both former SPAR Challenge winners, while Comrades winner Gerda Steyn finished second in the Joburg race last year, after entering as part of her training for marathons.

There will once again be a very strong field for Sunday’s race at King’s Park. Namibian Helalia Johannes (Nedbank), who already won the Port Elizabeth and Cape Town races this year, both in record time, will be attempting to make it three in a row. Meanwhile, the talented Ethiopian junior Tadu Nare (Nedbank), who finished second in Port Elizabeth and third in Cape Town, will also be running on Sunday.

Among the top South Africans competing are 2017 Grand Prix winner Kesa Molotsane (Murray & Roberts) and three-times Grand Prix winner Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank). Last year’s podium finishers, Betha Chikanga (Maxed Elite), Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) and Nolene Conrad (Murray & Roberts) are also expected to compete on Sunday.

The elite runners are expected to put up fast times. In Cape Town, the first 11 were all under the 2018 winning time, while the first seven in Port Elizabeth beat the previous year’s winning time. This trend is expected to continue in Durban.

“Durban is traditionally the fastest race of the series,” said SPAR Grand Prix coordinator Ian Laxton. “It depends on the weather, of course, but I expect a lot of runners to earn bonus points for finishing in less than last year’s winning time.” Laxton adds that he also expects top South African runners such as Molotsane and Van Zyl to make a strong push to get on the podium.

IMAGES: Reg Caldecott