Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 59, June 2014 | Page 49

Race Report

PHALULA grabs a record!
Diana-Lebo Phalula set PE alight as she
won the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge in
a course record, series record and personal
best time to win her second consecutive
race in the series, and further cement her
commanding lead in the 2014 Spar Grand
Prix. – BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Image: Reg Caldecott

T

he changes to the record books were rung as
current SA 5000m champion Lebo Phalula (Maxed
Elite) smashed her 10km personal best by a massive
34 seconds to win in Port Elizabeth in 32:27, the
fastest time ever in a Spar Challenge race and equal
18th-fastest ever on SA soil (43rd on the overall list of
SA times run). It also makes her the fourth-fastest
ever SA woman over 10km, behind Elana Meyer,
Colleen de Reuck and Zola Pieterse. This comes a
month after her win in the Cape Town leg of the Spar
series, and just two weeks after she shattered her
21km PB by 2:38 as she won the Old Mutual Two
Oceans Half Marathon in 1:14:00.
“I was feeling very motivated and I decided to get
away from the others. I just kept going and I didn’t

Spar Ladies 10km
& 5km Port Elizabeth,
Eastern Province, 3 May

look back. The weather was good for running and I
felt very relaxed,” said Lebo, adding that she believes
her faster times come as a result of training with men
and her motivation to secure a place in the SA Team
for the Commonwealth Games later this year.
Modern Athlete’s own Rene Kalmer was happy to
finish second in 33:23 after a disappointing eighth
in Cape Town due to heavy legs after the World
Half Marathon Ch