Elite runners look for early Grand Prix points
Spar Grand Prix gets underway in Maritzburg this weekend
AFTER various delays owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first invitational Spar 10km Grand Prix race will take place at Alexandra Park in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.
Two-hundred-and-fifty elite women’s runners from across Africa will compete.
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All age categories will be represented, with an additional category for the over 70s included this year..
The Maritzburg 10km event, is the first of six races, which will provide top runners an opportunity to collect points towards the Spar Grand Prix.
The athlete with the most points at the end of the series will collect a cheque for R185 000.
Prize money for the Grand Prix series amounts to a whopping R2-million.
In the previous Grand Prix series in 2019, Namibian Helalia Johannes made a clean sweep, winning all six races in record time to win the series with maximum points.
However Johannes, who finished 11th in the women’s marathon at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games will not take part in the Maritzburg race, as she is still recovering.
There will still be plenty of runners vying for the top spot on Sunday, including Ethiopian Tadu Nare (Nedbank), who finished second in the 2019 Grand Prix.
Former Grand Prix winner Kesa Molotsane (Murray & Roberts), who has recovered from a serious injury, will be trying to stake her claim. Molotsane finished third in the last Grand Prix.
Other runners to look out for include Glenrose Xaba (Boxer), Diana-Lebo Phalula, Lebogang Phalula-Luthuli, Rutendo Nyahora, Janet Mbhele and Patience Murowe.
2021 SPAR Grand Prix calendar
Sunday 22 August – Pietermaritzburg
Saturday 4 September – Cape Town
Saturday 11 September – Durban
Friday 24 September – Tshwane
Sunday 3 October – Johannesburg
Saturday 9 October – Gqeberha
