There are only six days left until the Pretoria Leg of the 2015 SPAR Women’s Challenge takes place. 25 000 runners are expected to attend so get there early and avoid the crowds before race time.
The Pretoria leg of this year’s SPAR Women's Challenge takes place at Super Sport Park Stadium in Centurion on 29 August with both the 5km and 10km race now closed for entries as the 25 000 entry cap was reached this week. In the week ahead Super Sport Park Stadium will be a hive of activity as staff prepare for the arrival of the 25 000 participants on the day together vendors, volunteers, staff, entertainment, print and broadcast media and hundreds of spectators.
The theme of this year’s race is #SteppingFor and the organizing committee at SPAR is excited to see all the South African ladies coming out to the event that has been dubbed as ‘The World’s Most Beautiful Road Race’. “This event only gets better every year and though we are going to be very busy this week with final preparations, we cannot wait to see the turnout,” says Jerome Jacobs, Marketing Director for SPAR North Rand.
Irene Homes, one of the beneficiaries of the race has also been very busy, working furiously to pack the 25 000 goodie bags for the race. “The bags are packed and ready to go,” says Angela Cassel, Manager of the Contract Workshop at Irene Homes. “Our beneficiaries love packing for the SPAR race and take it very seriously. I would like thank SPAR for the dignity that is afforded to our beneficiaries by your choosing us to carry out this important job.”
An event of these proportions is impossible to carry off without a little help and that is where SPAR’s crucial race sponsors and partners come into play. SuperSport Park, City of Tshwane, Jacaranda FM, Athletics Gauteng North, New Balance, TradeUnipoint, Aquavita and Suzuki Montana proudly support the race.
All of these sponsors came together with SPAR to create a great event, not only for the runners, but for those who stand to benefit from the proceeds of the day as well. A percentage of the proceeds of the race will be divided among SPAR’s 2015 race beneficiaries – Jacaranda Good Morning Angels, The Chrysalis Foundation, Irene Homes, HelpNet, The Zoleka Mandela Foundation, Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer, Hanna Charity & Empowerment Foundation and Stand With Stan.
All of the SPAR Grand Prix series top runners will be there to duke it out for first place and the chance to move up the ranks in the Grand Prix leader board. Irvette Van Zyl, last year’s Pretoria race winner will be competing to defend her title against the rest of the top ten runners; Mapaseka Makhanya, Lebo Phalula, Lebogang Phalula, Rene Kalmer, Christine Kalmer, Cornelia Joubert, Ntombesintu Mfunzi, Thembi Baloyi and Nolene Conrad. The crowds will also be cheering on veteran runner Lily Krugel as she completes her 19th SPAR Women’s Challenge race at the age of 83!
The 2015 brand ambassadors will also be there running right alongside their fans! As part of the biggest pool of ambassadors to ever support the race, Pierre Spies, Zoleka Mandela, Ivan Botha, Donnalee Roberts, Bouwer Bosch, Mapaseka Makhanya, Hanna Grobler, Annie Malan, Willem Botha, Gary Rom, Melanie Du Bois, Penny Lebyane and Jacques Blignaut will all be there on the day!
Once again the race will streamed live by Stream It 360 which will take the race from being an event of national interest – as the biggest race in the SPAR Grand Prix Series – to a global scale. Spectators who wish to watch the race from home or beyond Tshwane city limits can catch the stream on www.streamit360.tv.
Of course, most participants will want to share their experiences on race day through their favourite social media platforms. To carry this massive volume of online traffic, Vodacom will be setting up an additional tower for race day. If you would like to be a part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge online community, post under the following hashtags: #SteppingFor, #SPARLadiesPTA, #FitBit and #GoodieBag.
Each entrant will receive a medal to signify their completing the challenge and a goodie bag. This year, thanks to SPAR and the race sponsors, the goodie bags are bigger and better than ever. In a recycled eco-bag is a host of fabulous products, including 10ml Clere body crème, Selati sweetener, a pack of Mandy’s wax strips, Mandy’s hair remover, Satisskin Shower Gel, Nivea Anti-wrinkle Q10 Plus, Mr Muscle Easy Gel, Vinolia soap bar, Ariel 3in1 Capsules, Canderel Sweetness, Nestle Coffee sachets, SPAR Mini Bites, Futurelife Smart+Oats, Allsome Long Grain Rice, SPAR Squillos Chips, Provitas, Handy Andy Cream, 330ml Appletiser, a 500ml Energy Drink, Lamb & Mutton Cook book and a Takealot Gift Voucher.
SPAR would like all participants and motorists to keep the necessary road closures on the day in mind. For the 10km route, West will be closed completely from South to Lenchen. There will be full lane closures affecting sections of Lenchen heading south from West to John Voster and on John Voster heading south down Lenchen to Olievenhoutsbocsh road. There will be a full closure of the exit/entrance way into Makro to Olievenhoutsbocsh from Centaurus road. Further full road closures will affect Olievenhoutsbocsh from John Voster to Jean for the 10km route. Traffic disruptions will also affect Mareola to Glover as well as Jasper, Zamebesi, Saffier, Toermalien, Limpopo, Leonie, Thea and South as we ask motorists to be patient and to make way for our 10km runners.
For the 5km route, South will be closed completely between Heuwel and Von Willigh. Road closures for the 5km route will also affect Jean and Thea. Traffic flow for this route will also be disrupted flowing south from Jean to Clifton, Amkor, Gem, Opaal-Pretorius and river. There will be a full lane closure on the northbound lane at River/Lenchen between Monument and West
There will be lots of fun, live entertainment and goodies up for grabs on the day including loads of shopping opportunities as well from various stalls. The ever popular lucky draw will see entrants walking away with amazing prizes so don’t forget to put your lucky draw ticket into the box when you arrive at the stadium.
Families, corporate groups and friends are encouraged to come and enjoy the day together – bring a picnic basket and make the most of this great event! Race organizers are advising people to arrive early on the day in order to avoid traffic and to find a parking space. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding braai’s and bringing in your own food and drink. These can be found on the sparladiespta.co.za website.
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