René and Christine Kalmer receive lifetime achievement awards for running

Olympians and road running legends, the Kalmer sisters received lifetime achievement awards for their contribution to the SPAR Grand Prix.

René and Christine Kalmer, residents of Fairland and Linden respectively, have been running together for 30 years.

They have both represented South Africa at the Olympic Games.

They have been regulars at SPAR Grand Prix races since the mid 90s, with René completing 65 SPAR Women’s Races and becoming SPAR Race ambassador.

This is why when the awards for this year’s grand prix were held on 8 November, the sisters were called to the stage by Athletics South Africa president Aleck Skhosana, MMC for Community Development in Joburg Nonhlanhla Sifumba, and SPAR group marketing executive Mike Prentice.

They were awarded special certificates for completing over 50 SPAR races and for their contribution to the series over the years.

“It came as a good surprise, I feel honoured,” said René, who reflected on when she ran her first SPAR Women’s Race as a child.

“SPAR has been good to my women’s running and my own running career. Sonja Laxton [who has run 97 races] set the bar and I need to keep going.”

Christine also called it a good surprise to receive the award.

“To have my name up with some of the legends of the SPAR races was special,” she said.

Both women aim to run ‘a ton’ more SPAR Women’s races and said they will only stop running competitively when they cannot run anymore.

René continued the family trend when she carried her 18-month-old daughter, Karli van Wyk, over the finish line at this year’s SPAR Women’s Race Joburg.

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