GALLERY: Fun, victory and smiles at Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge
It may have been the buffy tutus, funky socks or trendy headbands that contributed to it, but the atmosphere was electric.
A SEA of beautiful people in purple congregated at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium on Sunday morning for the 2023 Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge.
The theme was apt – #MyRace #MyPace #It’s Personal – as numerous participants walked, ran or jogged at their own leisure, some even stopping to look at the ocean on the way.
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There were those, however, who ran competitively.
Defending series champion Tadu Nare (Nedbank) claimed victory at the event, crossing the finish line in 00:31:26 to secure her second victory of this year’s series.
She still needs to run two more SPAR Grand Prix races this season to rake in maximum points, but Nare looked to be in full control as the campaign reached its halfway point.
“I felt very comfortable today. It was not like other races I’ve run this year, which had more hills,” Nare said afterwards. “The course was good, and I enjoyed it today. I had a good race,” she said.
Selam Gebre held on to finish second in 00:31:37, with Glenrose Xaba shattering her personal best to take third spot in 00:31:55, dipping under 32 minutes for the first time in her career.
“I was not feeling very well at the start, and my body did not respond as well as I would have liked, so I’m glad I was able to run a good time,” Xaba said.
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“I’m very happy with the progress I am making with my coach (Violet Semenya) and with my result today,” she added.
Meanwhile, in the grandmasters (60+) division, Judy Bird produced a superb performance to break the South African record in her age group. Bird charged to victory in her category in 00:40:00, taking 12 seconds off the national mark.
Though she narrowly missed her goal of running under 40 minutes, she was delighted to have broken new ground.
“I’ve been sleeping, eating and thinking sub-40 all week. I visualised it, and it became non-negotiable, but it was quite a hard run,” Bird said.
“My main focus this year is the SPAR Grand Prix, and the other races are at altitude, but I’d love to go sub-40.”
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