SPOTLIGHT: SPAR WOMEN'S CHALLENGE TSHWANE

There are race days, and then there are days that remind you why women's running deserves its own stage entirely. Saturday's SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane, the third leg of this year's SPAR Grand Prix Series, was one of the latter. A sold-out field of 18 000 women took over the streets of Centurion for the 10km and 5km events at SuperSport Park, and across every age group, from teenagers to athletes well into their seventies, the message was the same: this sport belongs to women of every age and stage.

Pretoria's Glenrose Xaba (Boxer Athletic Club) produced the standout individual performance of the day, breaking the course record with a time of 32:28 and claiming her first win of this year's series. Nedbank Running Club's Selam Gebre, the Ethiopian athlete who has become a familiar face on the club's elite team, chased hard for the first half of the race before finishing a strong 2nd in 34:10. Speaking afterwards, Gebre admitted the altitude and the race's later-than-usual start time made for a tough afternoon, but said she was proud to fight for the podium. Kyla Jacobs (Boxer Athletic Club) completed the podium in 3rd.

Nedbank Running Club's depth showed further down the field too, with Dikeledi Majara finishing an excellent 10th overall in 36:19 and Karen-Mari Dotze placing 17th overall in 38:18 - three Nedbank Running Club athletes inside the top 20 of an 18 000-strong field is no small achievement.

The age-category honours told an equally good story for the club's depth. In the Junior category, Megan Waller claimed 5th in 42:14. In the Women's 40-49 category, Este van Tonder won outright in 39:00, with Tebogo Mokgosinyane also cracking the top five in 4th in 40:41. The Women's 50-59 category saw two Nedbank Running Club athletes inside the top five, with Nerida Lubbe finishing 4th in 44:25 and Ingrid Koster claiming 5th in 44:34 - a lovely footnote, given Ingrid's other role on the day (more on that below). Dalene Sonnekus claimed 2nd in the Women's 60-69 division in 44:54, with Jackie Frey rounding out the top five in 5th in 53:26. The performance of the day, though, may well have belonged to Frances van Blerk. The former Comrades Marathon champion won the Women's 70+ category in 56:18, finishing just ahead of Savages Athletic Club's Blanche Moila, who was completing an extraordinary milestone of her own - her 100th SPAR Women's Challenge race, making her only the fifth woman ever to reach that number.

It wasn't just on the road that Nedbank Running Club was represented. Club member Ingrid Koster, who claimed 5th in the Women's 50-59 category, was also invited to the SPAR broadcast studio overlooking the finish, where she was interviewed on air representing Nedbank Running Club to the thousands watching and listening in. Moments like these matter - a reminder that days like this aren't only about finishing times, but about the community of women who show up for each other, year after year, whatever their pace.

NRC GAUTENG (CGA)

Soweto Cabal 10km

Nedbank Running Club athletes were among the standout performers at the Soweto Cabal 10km. Tebogo Mokgosinyane claimed 1st Women’s 40-49 category in 42:22, while in the Men's 40-49 category, Lucky Mohale took the win in 31:49 with Albert Kangor claiming 2nd in 32:33.

Evaton Run, Evaton Mall

Pule Sibeko claimed 2nd position in the Men's Open division of the 21km race in a time of 1:10:53, at the Fortress Running Series event in Evaton.

Harties Loop 83km

Thabang Madiba put in an outstanding ultra-distance performance, finishing 2nd Open Male in the gruelling 83km Harties Loop in a time of 9:55:00.

NRC WESTERN PROVINCE (WPA)

Elsies River 10km

Nedbank Running Club WPA athletes filled the podium across several categories at the Elsies River 10km. Riaan Wildschut claimed victory in the Men's 40-49 category in 31:55, while Thabo Solani finished 2nd in the Junior Men's race. Robbie Lindsay claimed 3rd in the Men's 70-79 category, and Charmaine Cupido added a 2nd place finish in the Women's 70-79 division.

NRC EASTERN PROVINCE (EPA)

NMB Choose to Challenge 10km/5km/1km, Baywest Mall, Gqeberha

Nedbank Running Club EPA enjoyed a strong showing at the Baywest Mall event. Refeloe Solomons won the Overall Women's race in 37:42, with Kelly van Vliet claiming 2nd in 37:58. Kelly van Vliet also topped the Ladies 35-39 category with Jen Jonsson adding 2nd in the same division in 42:47. Zolani Mabongo finished 2nd in the Men's 40-49 in 32:31, while Refeloe Solomons claimed the Ladies 40-49 title. Xolile Ndingane won the Men's 50-59 category in 36:16, and Christine Claasen took the Ladies 60-69 title in 46:40 with Mariette Hattingh finishing 3rd in the same division in 48:06. Raymond Weitz claimed 2nd in the Men's 70+ category in 48:07, Margie Saunders won the Ladies 70+ category in 45:17, and Kylie Dorfling rounded out the results with 2nd in the Junior Ladies category in 42:44.

CLOSING

From a sold-out women's race in Centurion that put age, achievement and community on full display, to podiums stretching from Soweto to Gqeberha, this week's results are a celebration of what running gives back to those who show up for it — at any age, at any pace. Congratulations to every Nedbank Running Club athlete who competed this weekend, and to every woman who laced up on Saturday and reminded us all why this sport is worth celebrating. Here's to another great week of running ahead.

#RunWithUs | #GrowWithUs | #GreenDreamTeam | #NedbankRunningClub | #MoreThanAClub

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