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Nare Clinches Second SPAR Grand Prix Title
The 2022 SPAR Grand Prix came to a close on 23 October in Cape Town as a star-studded field took on the sixth and final race in South Africa ’ s premier road running series for women , and the day ended with a repeat-win for the defending SPAR Grand Prix champion .
Tadu Nare wins the Cape Town leg of the 2022 SPAR Grand Prix and clinches her second Grand Prix title
Ethiopian Tadu Nare has plenty to celebrate after clinching her second successive SPAR Grand Prix Women ’ s Series title with her victory in the final 10km race of the series in Cape Town on 23 October . She won the race with a fine time of 31:53 , finishing ahead of countrywoman Selam Gebre ( 32:18 ) and Namibia ’ s Helalia Johannes ( 32:21 ), to give the Nedbank Running Club a sixth consecutive clean-sweep of the podium positions in the 2022 Series .
The leading pack at 3km in the final leg of the series in Cape Town
This means that Nare finishes the six-race series on 179 points , having won five races in a row after finishing second to 2019 Grand Prix titleholder Johannes in the first leg in Gqeberha in May . She also received maximum bonus points for beating the target finishing times in all six races .
On top of the generous prize money she won in each individual race , Nare received R190,000 for clinching the series title , bringing her combined winnings in the 2022 series to R350,000 and making all the effort of commuting back and forth to Ethiopia worthwhile . After her Grand Prix victory in 2021 , Nare said she would use the money to start building a house , and now added that her earnings in 2022 would allow her to complete it . “ I ’ ve also bought some land as an investment . I am very grateful to SPAR and to Nedbank for making it possible for me to build this house , and to invest in my future ,” she said .
Looking towards 2023 , she said she hopes to be able to defend her title , but this would depend on her international commitments . For starters , she will take part in the Valencia Marathon in Spain on December 4 , and is hoping to repeat her success in her maiden marathon in Barcelona in 2021 , which she won in 2:23:53 .
Rounding Off the Podium
Having finished second in Tshwane and Cape Town as well as third in the other four races , Selam Gebre finished second on the SPAR Grand Prix ladder with a total of 170 points . She also wrapped up the junior title with a full-house total of 30 points from the three races that counted towards the Junior section of the SPAR Grand Prix .
Top three in the 2022 SPAR Grand Prix , Selam Gebre , Tadu Nare and Helalia Johannes
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The 2019 SPAR Grand Prix Champion , Helalia Johannes , finished third overall on 145 points . She won the opening race in Gqeberha , finished second in Durban , Mbombela and Johannesburg , and finished third in Cape Town , but she missed the Tshwane race because of Commonwealth Games commitments ( she won the bronze medal in the marathon in Birmingham ). She also won the 40-49 age category in the Grand Prix with 50 points , ahead of second-placed Janie Grundling ( Murray & Roberts ) on 40 points .
Kesa Molotsane , the 2017 SPAR Grand Prix winner , secured fourth place on the log ( and highest placed South African ) with 132 points , with Cacisile Sosibo ( Boxer ) fifth on 110 points , two ahead of Caroline Mhandu ( Maxed Elite ). Two former SPAR Grand Prix winners , Irvette van Zyl ( Nedbank ) and Glenrose Xaba ( Boxer ) were joint seventh with 98 points each . They both ran four of the six races .
Images : Reg Caldecott , Petri Oeschger
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