Mr. Price runner Rene Kalmer will be going all out to win the third SPAR 10km Challenge race in Pretoria on Saturday, and cement her place at the top of the Grand Prix leaderboard, after winning the first two Challenge races of the year, in Port Elizabeth and Durban.
Teammate Poppy Mlambo, who finished second in Port Elizabeth and third in Durban, will not be taking part on Saturday, as she will be doing national duty at the IAAF world athletics championships in Osaka, Japan.
However, Kalmer can expect stiff opposition from runners such as Mareliez Retief, Andrea Horak, and Annerie van Schalkwyk.
Harmony Gauteng are also entering a strong contingent, including Ronel Thomas, Gloria Baeba, Tshifiwa Mundalamo, Sihadi Mbofholowo, Ndofhiwa Mandiwana, Joyce Makwarella, Adinda Kruger and defending champion Sharon Tavenga.
“I’m look forward to it,” said Kalmer. “I’ve run all the other races before, but I’ve never run the Pretoria race, so it will be a new experience. I will have a look at the route beforehand, but I have heard it might be quite tough.”
She said she expected her strongest opposition to come from a group of runners from Zimbabwe, including Tabitha Tsatsa, who finished second in the Durban Challenge.
“Of course, Poppy won’t be there, but I think there will be quite a lot of opposition,” she said. “I think some of my strongest rivals may come from outside the country.”
Non-South Africans do not qualify for Grand Prix points, and a win on Saturday will probably mean that Kalmer is unbeatable in the race for top Grand Prix honours.
Multiple Comrades Marathon gold medalist Grace de Oliveira will have her sights firmly set on the veterans’ title, which will give her valuable Grand Prix points.
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