Spar Grand Prix ‘growing in stature’
The Spar Grand Prix, which starts in May, has done wonders for women’s road running.
Organisers say the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge Grand Prix is becoming one of the most important athletics brands, not only in South Africa, but in Africa as a whole.
Dana Coetzee, national manager of the newly launched Murray and Roberts Running Club, (formerly KPMG) also believes the Spar Grand Prix has been crucial to the development of women’s road running.
Nick Bester, present Nedbank Athletics Manager, added that as it has grown in stature, it has achieved international status and is now a major player in the development of women’s athletics in South Africa.
The Spar Grand Prix Series has done wonders for women’s road running.”
In 1992, the Spar Group launched the first Women’s Challenge in Durban, as a way to get women of all ages and races together to enjoy a 10km or 5km run or walk in safe surroundings. The race spread to other centres around South Africa, with Spar Women’s Challenge races now taking place in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, the Cities of Tshwane and Johannesburg, with thousands of women taking to the streets at each venue.
Thirteen years ago, in 2007, the Spar Grand Prix was introduced to make the races more competitive. Professional runners were invited to take part in as many Spar Challenge races as their international commitments would allow. Points were awarded to the top 20 finishers in each race and at the end of the year, the runner with the most points received a significant cash prize.
The prize money has risen substantially over the years and this year, the Grand Prix winner will take home a whopping R185 000. The runner-up receives R65 000 and the third-placed woman will be awarded a cheque for R40 000. The top 15 will all receive cash prizes.
On average, 150 runners earn Grand Prix points every year.
The Challenge series starts a little later than usual this year, with the first race in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 4 May. The Cape Town race is next, on Sunday, 26 May. The Durban Challenge will be run on 23 June. The Tshwane Challenge – the only one to be run in the afternoon – takes place on Saturday, 3 August, with the Pietermaritzburg Challenge on Sunday, 18 August. The Grand Prix series ends on Sunday, 6 October, with the running of the Joburg Challenge.
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