Nare bolsters lead in Spar Grand Prix
Ethiopian runner gears up for Cape finale
Image: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images)
Ethiopia’s Tadu Nare tightened her grip at the top of the Spar Grand Prix after winning the Johannesburg leg yesterday at Marks Park in Emmarentia.
With one race left in the season, Nare is on pole position to win this edition. Her win on Sunday took her points tally to 149. She’s followed in second by Selam Gebre. who has 141 points.
There are only two scenarios that can see Nare toppled from the top, the first being if she does not race in the finale which will be in Cape Town on October 23 and if Gebre beats her by nine places.
The Ethiopian contingency of Nare, Gebre and Meskerem Fikadu was overly dominant at Marks Park from start to finish as they took control of the race, having a strong burst at the start and then boxed in SA’s Glenrose Xaba, who looked to challenge them.
Xaba put on a great fight but fell short of a podium finish, grabbing the fourth spot in 34:25. Nare won the race in 33:32, Namibia’s Helalia Johannes got second in a time of 34:07 and Gebre completed the podium in 34:12.
Nare was pleased to have won as she was not expecting to cross the finish line first because she was a bit fatigued going to the race.
“I’m happy and excited to win. If I must be frank, I didn’t think I was going to win because of the half marathon that I ran earlier. I didn’t feel well rested,” said Nare.
“I had a feeling that Helalia was going to push and win this one, so at 9km, I just tested her and sprinted and checked if she could get me and she didn’t. So I managed to push ahead and finish. So, I’m very happy.
“This series is very important for me because it gives me the platform to interact with other international athletes. I don’t have any races on my calendar, but I plan to rest and train and be ready for Cape Town,” she said.