Tadu Nare makes it a clean sweep at SPAR Grand Prix
JOBURG – The SPAR Grand Prix wraps up with tight finishes in Gqeberha.
Ethiopian runner Tadu Nare (20) made it a clean sweep of all six SPAR Grand Prix 10km races this year to earn a perfect 150 points on the leaderboard.
Needless to say, the Nedbank runner won the overall title and, in doing so, collected R150 000 along the way in race prizes, to add to her additional R190 000 for the title.
This after the final race in Gqeberha.
Not too bad for seven weeks’ work.
Although she had emphatic wins in all six races, life was not exactly easy for Nare. Because of visa restrictions, she had to fly back to Ethiopia after every race. “It was very tiring, all that flying and the resultant Covid tests,” she said.
“I am training for my first marathon, in Barcelona in November, so I have to keep up my training schedule, even though I would like time to rest and recover from the flights. To prepare for 42.2km I have been doing 35km training runs during the week between the SPAR races.”
Nare, who also finished second in the 2019 SPAR Grand Prix, said she hoped to defend her title in 2022.
“I love South Africa. It’s like my second home. And I am very grateful to SPAR for putting on these races to give us an opportunity to compete and to make some money. I hope to build a house for my mother,” she concluded with a smile.
Former titleholder Kesa Molotsane from Murray and Roberts Running Club finished second and receives R90 000 in prize money.
She finished second in Cape Town and Johannesburg, fourth in Pietermaritzburg and Gqeberha, fifth in Tshwane and 10th in Durban, for a total of 129 points.
There was a battle royal for the next three places, with three runners finishing within a point of one another. Fortunate Chidzivo of Retail Capital Langa and Glenrose Xaba of Boxer Athletics Club finished joint third, with 117 points each.
Cian Oldknow of Murray and Roberts finished fifth, with 116 points, winning R35 000.
A freak accident caused former Comrades Marathon winner Charné Bosman to lose out on first place in the 40–49 years category.
Bosman won the first four races, with Janie Grundling in second place on each occasion. But Bosman missed the Johannesburg race and then injured her foot stumbling on a stair and missed the Gqeberha race as well. Grundling won both and wrapped up the category title to win R6 000.
After a ding-dong, series-long battle, Elmarie Pretorius of Run/Walk for Life and Shani Silver of Boxer finished joint winners of the 50–59 years category.
Judy Bird of Murray and Roberts won every SPAR Grand Prix race in the 60–69 category.
Murray and Roberts, was the clear winner of the club competition, finishing with 731 points from 28 scorers. Nedbank was second with 605 points from 19 scorers and Boxer third with 368 from seven scorers.
