ADVERTORIAL

The five-race SPAR Grand Prix Series 2024 offers a total prize purse of R2 million !

Now in its 17th year , the SPAR Women ’ s 10km Grand Prix series continues to go from strength to strength , and the 2024 series is set to provide still more world class competition and a crucial part of women ’ s athletics in South Africa .

Impressive Prize Purse

The prize money in the series is outstanding , with the overall winner of the SPAR Grand Prix taking home R200,000 . The runner-up will receive R100,000 and the third placed athlete will win R75,000 . This is over and above the substantial prize money for each individual race , bringing the total 2024 SPAR Grand Prix prize money purse to R2 million !

Claiming Those Points

The points structure remains the same as before , with points being awarded for places in each race . The winner will receive 20 points , second will get 19 points , and the 20th runner past the post will earn one point . In addition , runners can earn bonus points by completing the race within a certain time , and the target times for 2024 are the same as those for 2023 .

There are additional rewards on offer for South African runners . The local athlete with the most SPAR Grand Prix points will receive an additional R75,000 , with R50,000 going to the second-placed South African and R30,000 to the thirdplaced South African . Also , this year there is an extra incentive for South African runners , as the top-placed local athlete in the series will be given the use of a new Proton SUV X50 for a year . She will receive the keys to the car at the SPAR Grand Prix Awards ceremony and return them at the ceremony the following year .

The Big Five Races

Although there will be seven SPAR Women ’ s 10km Challenge races in 2024 , only five will be included in the SPAR Grand Prix . These are :

• 24 March – Cape Town

• 23 June – Durban

• 3 August – Tshwane

• 21 September – Gqeberha

• 6 October – Johannesburg

The other two races will be in Mbombela on 13 July and Pietermaritzburg on 18 August . ( There will also be a SPAR Women ’ s 10km Challenge race in Namibia , taking place in Windhoek on 6 April .)

An athlete ’ s four best performances will count towards their final score , making it possible for elite athletes to miss a race without being disadvantaged . This is particularly relevant for 2024 , since a number of runners may have to miss at least one race due to the Olympic Games in Paris from 26 July 26 to 11 August , while other athletes may have other international duties that clash with series dates . And as SPAR Grand Prix coordinator Brad Glasspool points out , when the best four performances out of six were counted in 2023 , several athletes earned enough points in just three races to qualify for top SPAR Grand Prix positions .

Making a Solid Difference

SPAR National PR , Communications & Sponsorships Manager Mpudi Maubane says the SPAR Grand Prix and Women ’ s Challenge Series prove that the SPAR Group is not just paying lip service to women ’ s empowerment issues , but is actively charting a course to become a leader in the South African transformational agenda , by diversifying inclusion and industrialisation in the economy and society at large .

“ We take pride in our sponsorship of the SPAR Grand Prix , which is the country ’ s and continent ’ s leading women-only road running series . Through this investment , we not only empower , but we encourage women of all walks of life to lead a healthy lifestyle ,” says Maubane . “ The SPAR Grand Prix complements our SPAR Women ’ s Challenge events held in the major centres of South Africa . Through the SPAR Grand Prix , we celebrate excellence in all age groups and reward dedicated runners with substantial prize money , to help them to develop their running careers .”