Since the SPAR Grand Prix resumed in 2021 after a COVID-enforced break in 2020 , one athlete has dominated the elite competition , losing only one race out of the 16 she has competed in over the past three years . That is why , in 2023 , Tadu Nare became just the third athlete , after South Africans René Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl , to score a hattrick of SPAR Grand Prix wins . Under the revised 2023 rules , where an athlete ’ s four best scores over the season counted for her final tally , Naru notched up an unassailable , ‘ perfect ’ 120 points after winning four of the six races in the series , all with times fast enough to score bonus points in those races . This even allowed her to miss the final race in Johannesburg , so that she could prepare for the Chicago Marathon on October 8 .
Hattrick Happiness
Nare has become a firm favourite of the SA running community , and she said the SPAR Women ’ s 10km races have been the cornerstone of her success as an elite athlete . “ I love the SPAR races and have always felt very welcome here . My first SPAR race as a junior was my first race internationally , and I remember it so clearly . This series has changed the whole of my life , and the way I think , because I was beaten several times and I used to feel frustrated , but I kept going
Tadu Nare receiving her 2023 SPAR Grand trophy from SPAR North Rand Divisional Marketing Executive , Ralph Rajagopaul and SPAR South Rand Divisional Marketing Director , Charleen Goshen
|
until I became a champion . I am happy to defend my title - and I want to do so again next year as well . Thank you to SPAR and to the lovely people of South Africa .”
Fellow Ethiopian Selam Gebre finished in second place on the Grand Prix log with 116 points . After finishing runner-up in the first five races this year , she finally collected her first-ever win in a SPAR Grand Prix race in Johannesburg . Third place overall was claimed by Lesotho ’ s Blandina Makatisi , rounding off a podium clean sweep by foreign runners , but she only just edged out the top South African finisher , Glenrose Xaba , by a single point , 109 to 108 . South Africans Cacisile Sosibo ( 80 points ), Cian Oldknow ( 72 points ) and Kesa Molotsane ( 71 points ) rounded out the top seven .
Dividing the Winnings
Nare collected a whopping R200,000 for her efforts in the 2023 Series , while Gebre took home R100,000 , in addition to their individual winnings at each race . Nare therefore claimed an impressive R320,000 , and in total , the diminutive Ethiopian has now earned more than R900,000 in three years of racing in this South African series , making all the travelling back and forth from Addis Ababa to Johannesburg worthwhile !
First South African on the SPAR Grand Prix log , Glenrose Xaba , receiving her award from SPAR ’ s Ralph Rajagopaul and Charleen Goshen
|
Meanwhile , for the first time this year , the top five South African athletes were also rewarded financially over and above their Grand Prix winnings . Since the SPAR Grand Prix was opened to international runners in 2018 , the competition has been dominated by international runners , with Namibian Helalia Johannes winning the SPAR Grand Prix title twice and Nare winning it three times . For this reason , SPAR announced this year that there would be additional prize money available to the top five South Africans in the 2023 competition . This lifted the overall Grand Prix prize purse to R765,000 , and when added to the prize money on offer at the six individual races , a total of R1.9 million was earned by the SPAR runners over the course of the season .
By clinching this competition-within-a-competition to be first amongst the South Africans , Xaba earned an extra R75,000 , while Sosibo took home R50,000 in second , and Oldknow earned R30,000 for third place . Xaba said she felt blessed to be the first South African to receive the additional prize money . “ We thank the SPAR Women ’ s series for motivating us , and for helping us to compete with our sisters from Ethiopia , Kenya and Zimbabwe . I think winning this award will help me to work even harder in future .”
In the age categories , the consistently quick Judy Bird once again dominated the 60 + years category . Emulating Nare , she has now claimed a clean sweep of her category for an impressive three years in a row , but also won all six races . Meanwhile , in a tight contest in the 50-to-59 category , traditional rivals Ronel Thomas and Janene Carey were only split by one point , with Thomas taking it narrowly by 39 points to 38 . In the 40-49 category , Makhosi Mhlongo ’ s two bonus points victories were enough to take her to the top of the log . Last but not least , in the club competition , Boxer took the overall win ahead of Nedbank and Hollywood .
|
Images : Reg Caldecott |