It is no secret that the SPAR Women’s Challenge is a race that brings thousands of women together every year. New friendships are woven in a vibrant tapestry of hearts that beat with the same passion. The Pretoria leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge takes place on 30 August 2014 at SuperSport Park in Centurion and offers women the opportunity to partake in a 5km or a 10km race that follows a scenic route through our nation’s capital. The race now also boasts a separate starting point for the 5km and 10km races to better accommodate the 25 000 expected entrants. The race, celebrating 13 years of sheer va va voom in 2014, has always been known for being bold and beautiful. But even more so, it has always moved thousands of women to actively take a stand, be counted and make a difference. With hearts beating in tune with that of the SPAR Women’s Challenge, staff members of Virgin Active in Highveld, Centurion, have decided to take up the challenge and put on their tekkies for the people of the Pretoria. In essence, walking the great walk for those who can’t, represents and reiterates this year’s theme with every strike of their heel: “My Shoes, Your Shoes”. “The theme for this year’s race was an obvious choice,” says Jerome Jacobs, Marketing Director of SPAR North Rand. “Every year we strive to speak to the core of thousands of women, and every year we achieve so much more than we ever could have hoped for.” “My Shoes, Your Shoes” s a modern day take on the age old philosophy of, “Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”. People are the way they are for a reason – culture, background, education, family dynamics, race and religion are only some of the factors which shape us from infantry into adulthood. And until somebody has walked a mile in your shoes, seen the world through your eyes and experienced firsthand what you have experienced, they cannot judge you. “My Shoes, Your Shoes” is a call to love, accept and above all, support the person next to you. “When we heard of the staff members of in Highveld, Centurion who have decided to take up the Challenge and run the race on behalf of the people of the Pretoria, our hearts burst with pride,” muses Jerome. “These individuals are the epitome of what this year’s theme symbolises, and the example that they set for those around them is noteworthy.” Hazel Ngoako, Milicent Malamahtsho, Mmanoko Mogale, Tisetso Mataba, Dolly Tladi, Motlatjo Rapakwana and Lunga Xhamela are the staff members from Virgin Active who will be taking up the Women’s Challenge. They hope to inspire other individuals from companies around South Africa to do the same. They say that they are walking in the shoes of the people of the Pretoria. They want to encourage everyone to lead healthier lifestyles, have greate attitudes and show even more compassion for the person that’s running the race called “life” next to you. Entries to “South Africa’s most beautiful road race” are still open and women who wish to partake in the Pretoria challenge can find entry forms at selected SPAR, SuperSpar and KwikSpar stores, or they can enter online at https://www.ladiesrace.co.za/. An entry into the SPAR Women’s Challenge will cost R70, and gets participants a race number, a T-shirt and a copy of the very popular My Race magazine.