Elite Namibian runner Helaila Johannes won the fifth leg of the Spar Grand Prix series on Saturday in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

The 39-year-old lanky athlete crossed the finish line of the Women's 10km Challenge in 32 minutes and 23 seconds.

Tadu Teshome Nare, 18, of Ethiopia finished second in 33:06, with last year's Grand Prix winner Glenrose Xaba settling for third position in 33:41, beating Irvette van Zyl's last year's time of 34.26. She will get a bonus point for that.

Johannes said she did not sleep well the night before.

"My race went well even though I was not feeling well. I had a headache throughout the night. But I'm grateful that I did well today," she said, adding that she enjoyed the hilly course and the chilly weather was perfect for running.

Johannes might have won five of the six legs of the series, but that does not guarantee her the Grand Prix title because the points margin between her and Nare, who has been finishing second consistently, is 15 points.

Should Johannes miss the next and final leg in Johannesburg on October 6, Nare will be crowned the winner.

Johannes's participation at the Joburg race will be based on how she feels after her race at the IAAF World Championship.

Johannes, Nare and Xaba ran in a group for about three kilometres when the two internationals pulled away from Xaba. It was not long before Johannes left the Ethiopian teen behind as well. With the focus on the finish line, Johannes ran solo for the rest of the race.

Xaba, 24, who lamented the slow start of her season due to injuries, said: "My strategy was to stick with the top two runners, so that I can finish in the top eight as I am looking for bonus points."

Her goal as the defending champion of the Grand Prix is to finish strongly in the last race in Johannesburg. "I'm just doing half marathons because I want to do well in the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, next month."

Xaba will run her first international race (21km) on Sunday in Argentina.