ATHLETICS NEWS - Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) led from start to finish to win the Joburg SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park in Emmarentia on Sunday.
She finished 35.08 minutes, beating Kesa Moletsane (KPMG) by 19 seconds. Nolene Conrad (KPMG) was third in 36.39.
There was a sizeable gap between them and the rest of the field, on a new route which followed a twisting and sometimes difficult course.
Molotsane’s second place was good enough to secure her victory in the 2017 SPAR Grand Prix. The defending champion, Van Zyl, was second and Conrad third.
“I had a good race. My legs weren’t too tired after the Cape Town marathon, and I was determined to win,” said Van Zyl.
“I was a bit worried about Kesa, who always hangs back a bit. I had a bit of a dip between six and eight kilometres, and just tried to put enough space between us. When I was still in the lead with a kilometre to go, I really pushed it, because I didn’t want to lose in a sprint.
“I always like a hilly route, although this one was quite tough,” she said .
“It was a very good competition, and Kesa has done brilliantly to win the Grand Prix in her first year of road running,” said Van Zyl.
