With 2021 and 2022 series winner Tadu Nare  from the Nedbank running club missing in action for the first leg due to her competing and finishing 8th the same morning in the London Marathon, it was Nare’s Nedbank teammates who took over the mantle with a 1-2 finish. 

Hiyane Lama took victory in a sprint finish ahead of teammate Selam Gebre on a wet and cold Cape Town morning, crossing the line victorious in a time of 33:42 with Gebre 2 seconds adrift. The pair sat behind South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba all the way through to 8km before Lama took the initiative for the run in to the finish. 

“I am very happy that I have managed to win today but I was not happy with the time because I was looking to run under 32:00 according to my training I had done,” said Lama after the race. In 2nd, Gebre once again climbed the podium just as she did last year in all 6 races of the series but with the absence of Nare on the line this morning was more lilely hoping to pull the win. 

“I am happy to finish 2nd but I will come for all of the series again this year and keep challenging myself to improve in each race,” said Gebre. Lama also praised Gebre for the assistance before and during the race. “Selam has been here before so she advised me on the course and conditions and also kept telling me to push when I decided to do the breakaway for the finish,” said Lama. 

In the age group category’s, the Nedbank running club once again excelled. In the women’s 40-49 catergory, it was a Nedbank running club clean sweep of the podium with Christiane Adriaanse taking victory in 39:31 ahead of teammates Elme Middlemost (39:53) and Rolandi Schutte (40:39). 

Just as double series winner Nare has used the Spar Grand Prix as a stepping stone to a budding international career, the Nedbank running club uses the series to unearth new raw talent. Nedbank running club Ethiopia’s Belay Hagos who manages and coaches the athletes in Ethiopia constantly recruits new talent and tests the athletes abilities in the series which is exactly what is being seen now with Gebre and Lama who besides their results from the series don’t have other accolades in their young careers. 

Nick Bester, national team manager of the Nedbank running club is full of praise for the Spar Grand Prix series. “We are so grateful to Spar for putting up these series because it also gives our South African runners the chance to be tested by international athletes,” said Bester. “We have already seen what the series does for an athlete like Tadu who is now running on an international stage and is ranked among the best in the world.” 

The series now moves on to the friendly city of Gqeberha on 27 May 2023

2023 SPAR GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
Cape Town – Sunday, 23 April 2023 – Green Point Precinct
Gqeberha – Saturday, 27 May 2023 – Pollok Beach, Summerstrand
Durban – Sunday, 25 June 2023 – Kings Park Stadium
Mbombela – Saturday, 15 July 2023 – Mbombela Stadium
Tshwane – Saturday, 5 August 2023 – SuperSport Park
Joburg – Sunday, 1 October 2023 – Marks Park Sporting Club

SPAR GRAND PRIX WEBSITE: https://www.sparwomensrace.co.za

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