Though her opponents didn’t give her much after the race, revealing the troubles they had faced in the build-up, distance runner Tadu Nare was grinning from ear to ear on Sunday after hitting back against a quality field to win the second leg of the Spar Grand Prix women’s 10km series in Durban.
Winding up the pace in the latter stages, Nare first dropped gutsy South African Irvette van Zyl and then 19-year-old compatriot Selam Gebre.
While Nare admitted she had struggled to shake off Helalia Johannes, the Namibian veteran was also dropped after the 21-year-old Ethiopian produced a lightning fast kick with less than one kilometre remaining.
Nare overcame the cold and windy conditions to win the race in 31:50, with Johannes taking second place in 31:59. Gebre was third in 32:17 and Van Zyl, fourth in 33:03, was the first South African home.
“I had to give it 100% today, but I was determined and ready,” said Nare, who won the Grand Prix series last year but finished second behind Johannes at the first leg of the 2022 campaign in Gqeberha last month.
“I planned to sprint at 8km, but she was still with me, so I knew at 9km it was going to be a do-or-die moment, and I sprinted again.”
Pre-race struggles
Johannes said she had missed two flights travelling from Namibia to Durban the day before the race.
Van Zyl also said she had battled with illness in the week leading up to the race, and though she tried to stick with the foreign contingent, she couldn’t hold on in the second half.
“I felt a bit off balance today,” Van Zyl said afterwards.
“I would have liked to have run faster, but I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to run, so I just took it one step at a time. I’m happy with my position and my performance.”
The third of six legs in the Grand Prix series will be held in Mbombela on 16 July.
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