The country's premier women's road racing challenge kicks off Sunday morning at the Greenpoint Sports Complex with a whopping R200 000 the carrot for the competitors to give their all.
The SPAR Grand Prix Series – a 10km challenge of five races around the country – has grown in leaps in bounds over the years to become the most coveted honour for not only South Africa’s elite runners but even the best from the continent. That Glenrose Xaba is the household name she is has a lot to do with her stellar performances in the Series which she has won twice already.
Currently the country’s marathon record holder after her incredible debut run in the distance during last year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, the Boxer Athletics Club starlet is back in the Mother City to begin a quest for another historic achievement. Xaba is bidding to become only the fourth athlete to win the Series three times following her victories in 2018 and last year. Do that and she will add her name alongside those of her compatriots Rene Kamler, Irvette van Zyl and EthiopianTadu Nare.
She will be out to put her marker in the opening race the Cape Town SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge Sunday morning as part of the incredibly large number of 16 000 runners of this sold out event.
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“Winning the SPAR Grand Prix has been a dream and a goal that I’ve had for many years,” said Xaba. "And to have won it twice is a career highlight for sure. To be referred to as a defending champion is surreal. This year, I aim to remain injury free and have a healthy season. I look forward to running the SPAR Grand Prix series again and fighting for that top spot.”
The winner of the SPAR Grand Prix will swell her bank account balance by a cool R200 000 with the runner up taking home half of that amount. The third placed athlete will win R75 000. This, of course, is additional to the substantial prize money for each individual race.
There are additional rewards on offer for South African runners as the one with the most SPAR Grand Prix points will receive an additional R100 000. The second-placed local athlete will take home R70 000 and R50 000 is reserved for the third placed South African.
Junior runners will once again be eligible for an overall prize, with the results of three races counting. The top junior will win overall prize money of R10 500 with the results of three races counting.
As well as the substantial prize money on offer, one lucky entrant at each race stands to win a Hyundai Exter SUV, valued at R269 900. The winner must be over 18 years or older and hold a valid driver’s licence.
“I thank SPAR for taking care of women athletes through this series, not only financially but to be able to compete in a women’s only race series is terrific for us women,” Xaba said.
Though her bitter rival Nare will not be racing on Sunday, Xaba is still going to have to dig deep for victory because there will be some tough competitors at the start line. Ethiopian Selam Gebre has generally given her a tough time, and given their tendency to run as a team, the presence of her compatriot Diniya Abaraya in the race could well spell trouble for Xaba as the dup are likely to team up against her. She’s a seasoned campaigner though and should be able to deal with them.
Xaba’s mentor, former 800m world and Olympic champion Caster Semenya, will also be taking part in the race that starts and finishes at the Greenpoint Stadium, with the runners chasing the big carrot of the R200 000 at the end of the Series.
Other races in the Grand Prix will be hosted in Durban on June 22, Tshwane on August 2, Gqeberha on September 27 and Johannesburg on October 5.
IOL Sport