It was business as usual when Tadu Nare returned to claim a dominant win in the second Spar Grand Prix race in Gqeberha on Saturday.

The ace Ethiopian runner had missed the first event of the six-race series in Cape Town last month, but in bitterly chilly conditions, she sauntered to victory in 31.35, setting a course record after leading from start to finish.

Nare opted to race in the London Marathon last month instead of making the trip to the Mother City, but it was as though she never left as she resumed from where she left off last year, when she claimed the overall series.

“I feel at home running this Grand Prix,” Nare told the post-race press conference. “I love taking part here because I’m surrounded by people who I love. It’s more than winning for me – that’s why I keep coming back.”

Her aim, she said, was to complete the 10km race in under 31 minutes, but her fast race was still sufficient to ensure a new record in the coastal city of Gqeberha. “I’m very happy with the outcome, even though I wanted to run a sub-31. This was a good route – even better than what we are used to.”

She was joined on the podium by her compatriot Selam Gebre, who finished second with 31.53, while Glenrose Xaba claimed third in 32.12.

South African Xaba kept the pace with the Ethiopians in the first three kilometres, but stayed behind after that, stating it was her tactic not to push herself to the limit as she is eyeing a top four finish in the Athletics SA half-marathon championship taking place in the same city this weekend.

“Everything went according to plan,” Xaba said. “I knew with Tadu being here, this was going to be a fast race so I kept pace with them and slowed down because I was using this as a way to prepare for the half marathon next week. My aim is to run a 69 minutes race, so I can qualify for the world championships (taking place in Budapest, Hungary, in August).”

The next edition of the Grand Prix is set for Durban on June 25.