Almost 18 000 fabulous females will take to the streets of Durban in the 24th SPAR Women’s 10/5km on Sunday, June 23, aiming for the finish line at the Sahara Stadium Kingsmead where there will be prizes worth thousands to be won as well as entertainment for the whole family.
Dubbed South Africa’s most beautiful road race, the SPAR Women’s 10/5km is a highlight for social runners and walkers alike, where they get to compete alongside the country’s fastest athletes as top professionals converge on Durban to compete in the SPAR Grand Prix Series.
Three of South Africa’s celebrated women Olympic Marathon runners have good intentions to compete. Defending champion Rene Kalmer, who has won more SPAR women’s races than any other runner, will be returning from injury having been forced to miss the recent PE Challenge. She recently competed and had a great run at the Boston Marathon. Irvette Van Zyl will be chomping at her heels after coming tenth in the Virgin London Marathon in April, while local lass, Tanith Maxwell finished ninth in the Berlin 25km race recently.
Hot on the heels will be leading contenders Zintle Xiniwe, Christine Kalmer, Poppy Mlambo Mapaseka Makhanya, who is currently leading the Grand Prix Series, and Rutendo Nyahora from Zimbabwe who has won back-to-back SPAR races this year.
The 2013 race has a completely new look with the race route having had an extreme makeover. The starts for both races will be in Sylvester Ntuli (Brickhill) Road, adjacent to the Durban Ice Rink. Each race will have individual starts and half an hour will separate them, with the 10km ladies beginning at 08:00am and the 5km ladies heading off at 08:30am.
Race director, Brad Glasspoole stated, “We have diversified the route this year, the new route will have something in it for everyone; it is extremely fast and flat with the route taking the ladies out onto the promenade giving loads of opportunities to enjoy the endless sea views. The revamped Snell Parade is breathtaking and provides stunning views of Durban as the competitors head back towards the finish.”
With an encouraging increase in numbers, the organisers are capping entries at 18 000 runners. For the younger runners, there is an age limit for each race: the 10km race does not allow under 15s and the 5km race has a restriction of no under 9s. A wave of purple race T-shirts will brighten up the Sahara Stadium Kingsmead as thousands of ladies dash towards the finish line.
Coinciding with the race registration, the SPAR Women’s Food & Lifestyle Expo hosted by Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World will be a welcome distraction to all that will be visiting. The expo featuring food, sporting, health, beauty and lifestyle products will be open from Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 June at the Suncoast Sunstrip Marquee.
MD for SPAR KZN, Rob Philipson complimented the runners, “It is always fantastic to see the ladies come out in their thousands and support this wonderful race. We salute every single one of you for making the effort in being active and choosing a healthy lifestyle.”
“The SPAR Women’s 10/5km offers our KZN runners, a top professional event to pit themselves against their peers,” says Sello Mokoena, president of KZN Athletics. “It’s a great social road-running event which goes a long way to encourage and develop an interest in running while at the same time the national Grand Prix series allows women athletes to have focussed goals to work towards.”
This year race entries are available online at www.sparwomensrace.co.za until 10 June thereafter manual entries will be accepted at the registration at The SPAR Women’s Food & Lifestyle Expo. If you enter online you stand a chance to win a weekend away for four at the majestic Springbok Lodge at Nambiti Private Game Reserve. Glasspoole stressed, “This is a really great prize for simply getting your entry in early. So go online and register and if you don’t have access to the internet - ask a friend, colleague or go to an internet café so that you stand a chance to win!”
Entry fees are R70 for the 5km event and for licensed runners in the 10km Un-licensed runners in the 10km race will be required to pay R80.
Not only is the SPAR Women’s 10/5km race good for the heart, but the event has a heart with a portion of the race fees going towards a good cause. The official charity for 2013 is the Independent Newspapers Community Projects.
For more info or to enter visit www.sparwomensrace.co.za
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