Commonwealth Games medalist Johannes enters the Spar GP

SuperSportHelalia Johannes’s surprise last-minute entry into the Tshwane Spar Women’s 10km race at the Irene Research Centre (ARC) on Saturday has underlined the importance of the race to the elite women athletes taking part in the annual Spar Grand Prix.

Last Saturday, the 41-year-old Namibian finished third in the Commonwealth Games marathon in Birmingham, taking the bronze medal in two hours 28:39.

Johannes, who runs for Nedbank, had originally said that she would probably miss the Tshwane race - the fourth in the six-race Spar Grand Prix series - because of her Birmingham commitments. If the Namibian star, who won the Grand Prix in 2019, had missed the Tshwane race, her absence would have given her main rival, Nedbank teammate Tadu Nare of Ethiopia, a clear run at the Grand Prix title this year.

The pair has dominated the competition since 2019, with Nare making a clean sweep of the series last year. Johannes won the Grand Prix in 2019, but did not take part in 2021. There was no Spar Grand Prix in 2020 because of the pandemic.

The fact that Johannes will be running on Saturday confirms that runners of international standing are determined to run as many Spar Grand Prix races as possible in their quest for massive prize money and international recognition.

Tough competition

Johannes won the first race this year in Gqeberha, but Nare scored back-to-back victories in Durban and Mbombela to take a slender lead on the Spar Grand Prix leader board. The stakes are high, with the winner receiving N$195 000, which is probably why Johannes has decided to run in Tshwane just a week after a gruelling race in Birmingham.

The question on everyone’s mind is this: can Johannes recover from a 42.2km race in just a week and be competitive again? She has shown time and again that she is a very tough competitor, and even at 42, none of the contenders will be taking her presence lightly.

Another Ethiopian and Nedbank runner, Selam Gebre, is in third position on the leader board, having finished third in all three races this year.

Several former Grand Prix winners are in the battle for the fourth spot and will be running on Saturday.

Kesa Molotsane (Murray and Roberts), the 2017 winner, is currently in fourth position on the table and will be looking to consolidate this on Saturday.

The 2018 overall winner, Glenrose Xaba (Boxer), missed the first two races because she was trying to qualify for the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. However, she was the first South African woman home in Mbombela and will be trying to make up for lost time in the final three races. Three-time Grand Prix winner Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) is also in contention. She missed the Mbombela race because of an injury but is expected to put in a good performance on Saturday.

The Phalula twins, Lebogang and Diana-Lebo, who won the Spar Grand Prix titles in 2015 and 2016, are back to their best form and cannot be ruled out of a top six finish. The race is also the second in which juniors can earn Grand Prix points for the junior category title.

Race Director Wynand Breytenbach says the route is reasonably tough, but he still expects fast times.

“They said last year’s route was challenging, but quite a few runners scored personal best times(PBs). That race was run on a loop course and was contained inside the ARC precinct because of Covid restrictions. This year there are some hills, but nothing too hectic. The race starts and finishes in the ARC and goes through the South Downs College and the South Downs Estate before returning to the ARC. I think it’s a fair route and I expect the runners to enjoy it,” said Breytenbach.

The 10km women’s-only Tshwane Spar Grand Prix starts at 8:00 on Sunday. Spectators will be welcome to give support to the continent’s top runners. The race starts on Saturday at 08:00.