SPAR Grand Prix expanded to include Mpumalanga
The organizers of the SPAR Grand Prix have decided to expand their series of races this year to a fifth province, while the prize money that will be at stake is a major attraction and will ensure that the country's top women long distance runners will once again take part.
The SPAR Grand Prix series is back again this year and will now take place in five different provinces.
Mbombela, the Mpumalanga capital, has been added to the SPAR Grand Prix calendar, replacing Pietermaritzburg. The Lowveld city is an ideal venue, with its pleasant warm winter weather and low altitude allowing the athletes the best possible chance of running excellent times.
“SPAR is well known for the promotion and development of women in sports, especially in grassroot areas,” said SPAR Lowveld Marketing Director Sean Komlosy.
At Tuesday’s launch of the 2022 SPAR Grand Prix Komlosy said this event will produce a solid foundation for the development and future sustainability of female athletes in Mpumalanga.
Photo: Supplied
“We will also include differently abled athletes in a non-elite race, which is a first for our province,” he remarked.
Komlosy said the SPAR Grand Prix would also provide opportunities for community leaders and organisations to get involved.
“The relationship between athletics and The SPAR Group has continued to outlive many others. This season, for instance, is another year of smiles for many athletes who will once again be happy to get another chance to run and a shot for top prizemoney. For many women, running is their life because it puts food on the table and each race of these series gives them that opportunity to work towards another pay day,” said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa.
Moloi further clarified that, as road running continues to ease back from the clutches of Covid-19, they applaud the efforts of THE SPAR GROUP for ploughing back to South African communities through the sport of athletics.
“Over the years, we have also seen the revival of many careers where women athletes had given up. On behalf of the board of ASA, we wish all athletes and the communities hosting the respective races, a wonderful experience,” Moloi concluded.
Photo: Christiaan Kotze
The other women’s only 10km races will be run in Gqeberha, Durban, Tshwane, Johannesburg and Cape Town. The first race, in Gqeberha will be on May the 28th and the last in Cape Town on October 23.
Good news for the runners is that prize money has been increased to R170 000 for each race, with the winner receiving R30 000.
Entries for each race will be restricted to 500 runners, who will compete in the Open, Junior, 40-49, 50-59 and 60+ categories.
Points for the SPAR Grand Prix will be awarded to the first 20 runners in the Open category, with 20 points for the winner and one for the 20th-placed runner. Points will be awarded to the first five finishers in the age group categories.
For the first time since 2019, points will also be awarded to runners who achieve excellent times. In the age groups, five points will be awarded to all runners achieving the target time. In the Open group, there will be a two-tier system for bonus points, with 10 points for exceptional times and five points for slower, but still excellent times. Juniors will earn points from the Durban, Tshwane and Cape Town races.
For the safety of the top athletes, based on the fluctuating COVID regulations and the unprecedented times we find ourselves in, SPAR have restricted each of the six races to 500 invited athletes. For all the other women who have loyally supported The SPAR Women’s Challenges nationwide, SPAR have gone virtual again this year.
However, that does not mean SPAR have compromised on the fun.
The SPAR Women’s Virtual Challenge will take place on Saturday 3 September 2022 and entries are open on. SPAR encourage all women to gather their friends together, work out a route in their local community and share all the fun.
2022 SPAR GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
Saturday, May 28 – Gqeberha
Sunday, June 26 – Durban
Saturday, July 16 – Mbombela
Saturday, August 6 – Tshwane
Sunday, October 2 – Johannesburg
Sunday, October 23 – Cape Town
For any other info, visit the SPAR GRAND PRIX website at https://www.sparwomensrace.co.za
Say hello to your new @SPARGrandPrix ambassador 🙏🏽#IRise as I’m “rising to the top” with such a great brand. #SparGrandPrix pic.twitter.com/rEtdJNao0E
— thandymatlaila #LingashoniBlue (@thandymatlaila) May 11, 2022
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