by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE Ethiopian, Tadu Nare, will again be the woman to beat at the Spar Grand Prix.
This after she returned with a record-breaking victory at the Gqeberha, Eastern Cape this past weekend.
The defending series champion delivered a spectacular performance to secure a comfortable victory in 31 minutes, 35 seconds.
She made up for missing the first race of the 10km road running series in Cape Town last month in order to compete at the London Marathon.
“All in all it was a wonderful race. It was a great route and the weather was perfect. This is my favourite city,” Nare said of Gqeberha.
Her compatriot, Selam Gebre, grabbed second position in 31:53 while Glenrose Xaba, shattered her personal best to finish third in 32:12.
Xaba was the first South African across the line.
“I’m very happy with my result. The race went well,” she said.
“I came here with a positive mindset and was hoping to run a fast time.”
Blandina Makatisi of Lesotho was fourth in 32:46 and Cian Oldknow ended fifth in 32:49 in a fast race, which saw nine women dip under 34 minutes.
Former ultra-distance star Grace de Oliveira made history by becoming only the second woman (after Sonja Laxton) to complete 100 races in the annual Spar Grand Prix.
De Oliveira, a seven-time Comrades Marathon gold medallist, finished third in the grandmasters (60-69 years) age group, completing the race in 48:55.
– CAJ News