Just as they did in the first leg of the Spar 10km Grand Prix Series in Gqeberha, the green clad Nedbank running club ladies dominated the roads around the Durban beachfront in emphatic style taking the first 4 positions across the line.
From the moment the starters pistol was fired outside the Kings Park swimming pool, it was the Nedbank running club foursome consisting of defending series champion Tadu Nare, Selam Gebre, Helalia Johannes and South Africa’s Irvette van Zyl who shout out in front ahead of the rest of the field as they made their way down Masabalala Yengwa avenue.
It was just after 5km into the race where van Zyl started to drift off her teammates and not long after that, it was the junior Gebre who began to feel the pace as Nare, and Johannes soldiered on. In Gqeberha it was Johannes who was the 2019 Grand Prix series winner that got the better of the defending champ Nare, but as the 9km board was passed, Nare through in a surge that showed the first chink in the armor of Johannes.
The gap widened and just like she did last year in Durban, Nare sprinted down the home straight, hands in the air to cross the line victorious in a quick 31:50. Johannes finished a scant 9 seconds back in 31:59 with Gebre closing the podium in 32:17. It was a Nedbank running club podium clean sweep yet again. Johannes also took the first veteran prize with Gebre taking the junior title. Van Zyl crossed the line 4th and first South African in 33:03.
When Johannes took the series win in 2019, it was Nare who was 2nd in each of those races. Nare returned last year after no series in 2020 due to covid and won all 6 events. With a win each now in the 6-race series, the title of series winner will be exciting to follow.
“I always come into a race with the aim to win, so I knew that my main competitor would be Helalia,” said Nare afterwards. “I planned to stick with her as long as possible and when I started to see that she was struggling a little bit, I decided to kick hard at 9km, and I ran as hard as I could to the finish.” It was a strategy that worked well for the young athlete who hails from Ethiopia and started her international running career with the Spar Grand Prix series back in 2019 as a junior, much like Gebre in 3rd has done.
A humble Johannes said afterwards that her body felt tired and was not confident of a winning performance after travel issues resulted in her arriving late. “I missed my flight on Friday in Windhoek (Namibia) so I spent most of the time at the airport and again in Johannesburg,” Johannes shared. “Today just was not my day but I am still happy with my run despite being tired and my Nedbank running club teammates performing well.”
For van Zyl who is a 3 times series winner, being the first South African across the line was a bonus with the series now attracting a very strong international contingent. “Having the international runners here at the series is good for the South Africans because it pulls all the girls to faster times and we could see that with the results of the other girls today,” said van Zyl. “I felt a bit off balance today and it was not a comfortable run for me, so I just took it kilometer by kilometer and focused that way.”
A very happy Nedbank running club national team manager said he was very proud with the way the race panned out. “It is a great feeling when a plan is made and gets executed just as we planned,” said Bester. “I must thank Spar for putting on this series because it is great for the ladies who are showing some great performances.”
Spar has invested in the series for over 2 decades and sponsors are always a blessing. “With our team I have to thank all of our sponsors who make it all possible,” said Bester. “With our title sponsor Nedbank and our supporting sponsors Nike, THIRSTI water, FutureLife, Bavaria SA and Biogen, we all create magic for the athletes, and I also thank the athletes, managers and coaches who make this club such a special group of people and proud to be part of.”
The next Spar Grand Prix 10km series heads to Mbombela on July 16.
Overall Top 10 results:
1. Tadu Nare (Nedbank) 31:50; 2. Helalia Johannes (Nedbank) 31:59; 3. Selam Gebre (Nedbank) 32:17; 4. Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) 33:03; 5. Kesa Molotsane (Murry & Roberts) 33:16; 6. Caroline Mhandu (Maxed Elite) 33:18; 7. Cian Oldknow (Murray & Roberts) 33:20; 8. Kyla Jacobs (Murray & Roberts) 33:28; 9. Diana Lebo Phalula (Boxer) 33:28; 10. Gerda Steyn (University of Johannesburg) 33:32
Junior:
1. Selam Gebre (Nedbank) 32:17; 2. Karabo Motsoeneng (Prestige College) 37:22; 3. Naledi Makgatha (Murray & Roberts) 39:06
40-49:
1. Helalia Johannes (Nedbank) 31:59; 2. Jenna Challenor (Murray & Roberts) 34:57; 3. Janie Grundling (Murray & Roberts) 35:57