Latest news with #SPARGrandPrix
The Citizen
02-08-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Glenrose Xaba in tough battle with Ethiopian rivals, but does it again in SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane
Glenrose Xaba in tough battle with Ethiopian rivals, but does it again in SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane The crown of champion of the SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane, the fifth race in the 2025 SPAR Grand Prix, still sits firmly on the head of a local Pretoria athlete. Glenrose Xaba of the Boxer club not only successfully defended her title as winner of the SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane on Saturday at the SuperSport Park Stadium in Centurion, but also proved that she currently has no equal over the 10km distance in South Africa. Xaba crossed the finish line in 32:39, which is 0.14s faster than her winning time in the same race last year. However, she was in a tough battle with Ethiopian Diniya Abaraya (Nedbank), who kept pace with her until the end, taking second place in 32:41. Another Ethiopian, Selam Gebre, also in the colours of Nedbank, finished third in a time of 33:17. 19-year-old Wiepke Schoeman, a former student of Hoërskool Zwartkop in Centurion, was the first junior athlete to cross the finish line in a time of 38:16. Xaba, probably Pretoria's biggest road racing star at the moment, is aiming to become the third South African and first black runner to win the SPAR Grand Prix Series title three times. She earned the top spot on the podium in the SPAR Grand Prix for the third time this year, after also winning in Cape Town in March and in Durban in June. She also won her sixth South African half marathon title a week ago. 'I would like to thank my coach, Violet Raseboya, and my mentor, Caster Semenya. They help me in so many ways, keeping me injury free and working out strategies for me,' Xaba said after the race. She thanked the Ethiopian and Kenyan runners for pushing South African runners to do better. 'They are making us competitive internationally,' said Xaba. Xaba said she hoped her success would encourage the next generation of South African runners. 'They can see my success and believe they can succeed too,' she said. The two Ethiopians both expressed their admiration for Xaba. 'I am amazed at how powerful she is, taking the lead from the start and staying there,' said Abaraya. She said she had found the hilly course very challenging. Former three times SPAR Grand Prix winner Irvette van Zyl (Hollywood) surprised everyone when she shot into the lead at the start of the race, but the four front runners dropped her at the two-kilometre mark and ran together for the next five kilometres, when Xaba surged into the lead. She appeared to be well ahead of the two Ethiopians, but they made up lost ground and nearly caught her on the finish line. Xaba admitted later that she had been taken by surprise. 'I thought I had dropped them, so I wasn't aware how close they were,' she said. Van Zyl said she was very excited about the young runners who were making their mark in South African road running. The Olympic athlete from Pretoria said that she only used the race to test the progress in her recovery process after the Comrades marathon in June, where she took sixth place in her debut and finished in 6 hours, 11 minutes. She then told the media, much to their amusement, that she actually wanted to finish sixth because her 6-year-old son had finished sixth in a cross-country event earlier in the week and was very proud of it. This sparked a family conversation and she didn't want to do worse than her son's sixth place. 'I am also so thrilled to see a South African winning again. I have watched Glenrose since she started and I am so impressed by her,' said Van Zyl. The sell-out SPAR Women's Tshwane Challenge had 17 000 participants. The event was held in slightly cooler weather this year than in previous years, but there was no shortage of enthusiasm and colourful merriment. Old and young, fit and less fit, as well as the traditional men who turned up in skirts and wigs for the women's Challenge – all in good spirits and for a good cause – took over the streets of Centurion around the SuperSport Park. What a finish! 🌟 Huge congratulations to our 5km winner, crossing the line in style and absolutely thriving! 💚 You set the pace for an incredible day at Tshwane's most beautiful road race! 🏅#SPARWomensTshwane #Twenty20Thrive — SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane (@SPARWomensPta) August 2, 2025 ****************************************** Full results of the SPAR Women's 10km Challenge run at SuperSport Park on Saturday: Open category: 1. Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) 32:39; 2. Diniya Abaraya (Nedbank0 32:41; 3. Selam Gebre (Nedbank) 33:17; 4, Debrah Cherotich (Nedbank) 33:17; 5. Karabo More (Boxer) 34:03; 6. Nicola Jansen (Boxer) 34:16; 7. Karabo Mailula (Tuks) 34:34; 8. Irvette van Zyl (Hollywood) 34:42; 9. Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer) 34:55; 10. Carina Swiggers (Boxer) 36:12 Junior category: 1. Wiepke Schoeman (Boxer) 38:16; 2. Taya Pelser (Boxer) 38:59; 3. Chanel Groenewald (Boxer) 39:45 Category 40-49: 1. Leilani Scheffer (Boxer) 39:40; 2. Jeannie Henderson (Nedbank) 39:46; Steyn (Trivium) 40:09 Category 50-59: 1. Elizabeth Potter (Boxer) 4:49; 2. Anne Stewart (Atlantic) 42:51; S3. Salome Cooper (Jeppe Quondam) 43:14 Category 60-69: 1. Judy Bird (Boxer) 43:00; 2. Gail Babich (Savages) 47:01; 3. Dalene Sonnekus (Nedbank) 48:12 Category 70+: 1. Winnie Koekemoer (Team Vitality) 01:01:16; 2. Annatje Greyvenstein 01:06:22; 3. Lettie Coetzee (Pretoria Bobbies) 01:14:43 Huge congratulations to the top 3 finishers of the 10km! 💪 🥇Glenrose Xaba 🥈Dinaya Abaraya 🥉Selam Gebre You gave it your all & crushed it out there! 🎉 Well done to each of you!#SPARWomensTshwane #Twenty20Thrive — SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane (@SPARWomensPta) August 2, 2025 Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
The Citizen
20-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Sold out 35th birthday celebration for 12 000 women in Sunday's SPAR Women's Challenge Durban
The SPAR Women's 10km Challenge will celebrate a major milestone on Sunday in Durban as it marks the 35thanniversary of the first SPAR Women's race. The SPAR Women's Challenge was first run in Durban in 1990 and later spread to other cities around the country, making the overall SPAR Challenge the world's biggest woman only street race. Race organizers have confirmed that the 10km race and 5km fun run are sold out. Many of South Africa's elite female athletes will be running on Sunday, 22 June hoping to gain points for the SPAR Grand Prix, which incorporates races in Cape Town, Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha and Johannesburg. Pretoria's own Glenrose Xaba (Boxer), who last year became the first South African to win the SPAR Grand Prix since international athletes were admitted in 2019, aims to become the third runner, after Rene Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl, to win the title three times. Xaba won the Cape Town SPAR Women's race in March this year. Earlier this month, she ran a personal best in a 5000m track race in France, with a time of 15:10.42, so she is currently in good form and ready for Durban. Hoping to challenge Xaba will be Ethiopian Selem Gebre (Nedbank), who finished second in Cape Town, and young Tuks runner Karabo Mailula, who came third. Gebre finished second overall in the SPAR Grand Prix last year. Other top runners include Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer), who was the second best South African performer in last year's SPAR Grand Prix, and teammates the Phalula twins, Diana-Lebo and Lebogang, who are both former SPAR Grand Prix winners. The 12 000 entrants will each stand a chance win a Hyundai Exter SUV from the lucky draw. 'We are proud to offer our stunning Exter as a prize for the SPAR Women's Challenge. We congratulate the SPAR Durban Challenge on 35 years of women empowerment through sport, while inspiring the next generation of champions,' said Hyundai South Africa CEO Stanley Anderson. SPAR Group PR, Communications and Sponsorship Manager Mpudi Maubane confirmed that each of the SPAR races is linked to their ongoing commitment to ending Gender Based Violence (GBV) as well as SPAR's campaign to end period poverty by 2030, raising awareness and providing support to organisations working to combat these issues. 'This multi-faceted approach ensures that the races that form part of the Grand Prix series not only promote physical well-being but also contribute to a safer and more equitable society for women in South Africa,' Maubane explained. The proceeds from the race will go to Sinethemba Women's Foundation based in Inanda, KwaZulu Natal. This small organisation assists vulnerable women in their neighbourhood by offering support on skills and business development, career guidance, aligns with SPAR's values – ending GBV and helping young girls and women with menstrual hygiene. The alignment with Sinethemba Women's Foundation work with SPAR's core values highlights the deliberate and great connection that we seek to foster with the communities we serve. Maubane added that by supporting organisations like Sinethemba, SPAR is investing in a future where women are safe, empowered and have the necessary resources they need to thrive. The route for the race is the same as last year. The 10km route is flat, but race director Brad Glasspoole says it is anything but monotonous. 'There's a fine line between 'flat and fast' and 'monotonous',' says Glasspoole. 'This route has slight elevation loss and gain, which keep it interesting and is good for the athletes' The race starts on Masabalala Yengwa Avenue and finishes on the outer fields of Hollywood Kings Park Stadium. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
