Veteran runner set to take on iconic SPAR Women’s race
A local runner has lost count of how many times she has run the challenge. She is targeting a modest improvement to her best time.
BEING a runner for over 20 years, Amanzimtoti retiree Margaret Botes, 66, has taken part in countless events since she began running at the age of 45, and will be running the streets of Durban for the upcoming SPAR Women’s 5/10km Challenge as well.
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The infamous running bug caught a hold of Margaret and her husband, Frikkie Botes, when the pair took part in 5km fun runs along the Durban beachfront. They worked their way up to 10km, 15km and eventually 21km events, leading them to take on the Two Oceans Marathon.
“From there, we qualified for the Comrades Marathon and took on the up-run in 2006, completing it in 11:07:00. Then in the following year, I did the down-run, which is around 2km longer, in 11:20:00,” said Margaret.
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“I think the older we get, the more brittle our bones get and through exercise, we are able to stay fit. I do the Amanzimtoti park run every Saturday. During the week, we walk a 10km route, on Wednesdays we do the athletics club’s time trial. The mileage now is actually much less than I used to do,” she said.
She has done over 15 SPAR Women’s Challenges and last year she achieved an impressive time of 1:08:00. “If I improve by one minute, I’ll be happy,” she said.
Entries are still open for the race on June 22. Individual online entries close on June 16. For more information, visit www.spar.run or like the race’s social media pages.
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