For the women who want to run the Comrades Marathon in 2008, the SPAR Mercury Women’s 10km Challenge at Sahara Stadium on Sunday June 24 is the ideal opportunity to kick-start their road running career.
The Women’s Challenge, which started in 1990, has become the biggest road-running event in South Africa, and has joined the Comrades Marathon and the Two Oceans Marathon as one of South Africa’s great sporting events.
The winners of the Challenge include illustrious names like Zola Pieterse, Colleen de Reuck, Grace de Oliveira, Blanche Moila, Poppy Mlambo and Ronel Thomas.
The Durban Challenge is the biggest and most famous of the five SPAR Challenge events, which are run in Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
As from this year there is an added incentive for the top runners – they can earn SPAR Grand Prix points, and stand a chance of winning up to R50 000.
However, as always, the Durban Challenge is not just about the top runners competing for top honours.
In its 17-year history, the race has grown from 2 000 runners to as many as 17 000, and the vast majority of those runners have entered purely to be part of one of the city’s biggest events.
For the first time, this year’s Durban Challenge will include a five km Fun Run, which is open to females over the age of nine.
Walkers are welcome at both the 10km Challenge and the 5km Fun Run. The first 13 300 entrants will receive a free race t-shirt and goody bag at registration and a portion of every entry fee will go towards Independent Newspapers community projects.
Rob Philipson, SPAR KZN MD, said “SPAR’s commitment to women’s sport goes without saying and our passion to support women’s sport will continue.
“For this year’s race we look forward to the fresh enthusiasm that the 5km addition will bring, allowing more children, schools and families to take part in this wonderful event.
“The 10km stretch will remain unchanged and we look forward to the competition that is generated between individuals. Life is indeed great when we see all women adopting a healthy, fun wholesome lifestyle that mirrors our overall company ethos. I would like wish each and every entrant good luck and enjoy enjoy enjoy!”
Joyce Smith General Manager of KwaZulu-Natal Athletics said the Challenge was a very important event because it focussed on women. “Everyone is trying to raise the status of women, and this race is one way of doing that,” said Smith.
“Women are made to feel good about themselves when they take part in an event like this. For the past three years, the Department of Sport and Recreation has helped to transport young women from the rural areas to take part in the race, and this has helped us to identify a lot of potential talent.
“There is raw talent in those rural areas, and some of them can have a great future in athletics. Some novice runners who did well in the challenge have been selected to compete in the national 10km championships.”
Smith said the addition of the five kilometre Fun Run meant that mothers had the opportunity to take part in the event alongside their young daughters. “This can be a wonderful experience for mother and daughter alike,” she said.
“We are very proud to have been associated with the SPAR Women’s Challenge since its inception,” said the Editor of the Mercury, David Canning.
“The Durban race is one of the biggest road running events in South Africa and has become a highlight of the KwaZulu-Natal calendar. It is a day of fun and camaraderie for the thousands of women who take part. We wish all the participants in this year’s race a blister-free day of fun and friendship.”
Entry forms are available from all SPAR, SUPERSPAR and KWIKSPAR stores, KZN Athletics or online at the SPAR website.
Registration and the Lifestyle Expo will be at Sahara Stadium from Thursday June 21 to Saturday June 23, from 9am to 5pm. No entries will be accepted on race day.
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