René Kalmer has good reason to have a soft spot for grocery giant SPAR. For the second time in three years, she has won the first prize of R50 000 in the SPAR Women’s Challenge Grand Prix.

What makes the Mr Price runner’s achievement even more remarkable is that she missed the Johannesburg race in October, because she was representing South Africa in the World Half Marathon Championships in Birmingham, England.  However, she had built up an unassailable lead by winning the first four races and accumulating an impressive 122 points.

Kalmer was delighted at having clinched the R50 000 for the second time. “The money really helps and it’s a great motivator on those cold winter mornings, when you don’t want to get up and run,” she laughed.

2009 has been a golden year for Kalmer – she finished a very creditable 15th in the world marathon championships, she was the undoubted star of the SPAR Challenge series, and to top it all, she won the Soweto Marathon on November 1 in two hours 44 minutes and six seconds.  It was her debut marathon and she was the first South African for several years to take top honours in the race.

“I really enjoyed the race,” she said.  “I entered it to see what running a marathon was like, and it was fun.  I was thrilled to win it.” However, much as she enjoyed the Marathon, Kalmer is still very enthusiastic about the SPAR Challenge.

“The SPAR races are great,” she said.  “They are only for women, and that makes them very special.  The start of the Soweto Marathon was awful – all the men pushing and jostling to get into good positions.  Afterwards, they were very good to me, and a lot of the men helped me during the race, but it wasn’t much fun at the start!

“But with the SPAR races, the focus is all on you. When you win the race, you are the first person across the line, and that is really very satisfying.

“I think SPAR also does a lot for the development of athletics.  You see women of all shapes and sizes taking part, enjoying wearing their race t-shirts and having fun with the goodie bags.  I think quite a few people who take up road running start off by taking part in the SPAR Challenge races.”

SPAR Marketing Director Roelf Venter congratulated Kalmer on her victory, and said the Challenge races continued to be a flagship sports sponsorship for the group.

“Women are our main customers and we are happy to be involved in an event that brings so many women together,” he said.  “We are very proud of the all women who have earned Grand Prix points, but we are also proud of the thousands of women who took to the streets just for the fun of taking part. We believe that each and every one of them is a winner.”

(Courtesy of  BLD Communications)

Rene Kalmer