WEDNESDAY, 29 JULY 2026
SPAR GRAND PRIX TITLE WIDE OPEN
- Tshwane SPAR 10km jam packed with top African athletes
Tshwane, Pretoria: The 2026 SPAR Grand Prix is shaping up to be the most exciting since its inception, with three times winner Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) and the up-and-coming young Hollywood AC runner Tayla Kavanagh battling it out for top honours.
Kavanagh won the first two SPAR 10km Challenge races in this year’s Grand Prix series. She caused something of an upset when she beat Xaba in Cape Town, but Xaba missed the Durban race because she was running in the United States. The SPAR Grand Prix format takes a runner’s four best performances into account, which means an athlete can miss a race and still be in contention for the title.
Kavanagh currently tops the SPAR Grand Prix leaderboard with 60 points, having earned maximum bonus points in the first two races. Xaba is in fifth place, with 29 points, but a bonus point win on Saturday would put her just behind Kavanagh, with two races, in Gqeberha and Johannesburg, to go.
Xaba is favourite to win the sold out 18 000 Tshwane Challenge at Supersport Park in Centurion on Saturday, because Kavanagh is in Glasgow, representing South Africa in the 5000m at the Commonwealth Games. Kavanagh is not the only runner doing national duty in Glasgow – Karabo More (Boxer) will be running in the 1500m event. More is currently in joint second position with her teammate Cacisile Sosibo, with 53 points each.
Xaba said her preparations for the Tshwane SPAR Challenge were going according to plan and she was looking forward to the race
“My training and everything I do is going the way I want it,” said Xaba.
“I believe I can win the SPAR Grand Prix for a fourth time if I win the Tshwane race with bonus points. I am looking forward to competing against the other athletes and to engaging with my fans on Saturday,” said Xaba.
Despite the absence of Kavanagh and More, the senior elite field for the Tshwane 10km race on Saturday is jam packed with top African athletes and promises to be a tightly contested race.
Cacisile Sosibo is sitting on 53 points on the Grand Prix leaderboard, with Ethiopian Athlete Selam Gebre (Nedbank) and Xaba (Boxer) both on 29 points after only a single race each. Kayla Jacobs (Boxer) and Lesotho Athlete Neheng Khatala (Hollywood AC) follow closely behind with 28 points each also after a single event.
This leaves the outcome of the series wide open but a win in Tshwane will give a better idea of who will remain top in the standings.
The Tshwane and Jozi SPAR Challenge races are the only ones in the series to be run at altitude. Saturday’s race starts and ends at the iconic Supersport Park cricket ground and includes residential as well as commercial areas. The race starts with a slight incline, but it is the middle part of the race that really tests the runners’ stamina as they negotiate a series of rolling hills, with the highest point at 7.3 kms.
The Junior Category is a fierce competition with only 3 races to count; Tshwane will also be a decider. If Leah Edwards (TUKS) takes a win, she will be going head-to-head with Chanel Groenwald (Boxer), winner of the 2025 series, but at altitude bonus points may come into play.
One of the most familiar faces in the SPAR Challenge races is Blanche Moila, the first female black athlete to be awarded Springbok colours. Moila, easily recognised by her distinctive ‘doek’, will be running her 100th SPAR Challenge race on Sunday.
Ends.
2026 Tshwane Spar Grand Prix Google Drive Information Hub Link: https://shorturl.at/wifhr
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Cacisile Sosibo: Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer) will be a frontrunner challenging for a podium position on Saturday at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane at Supersport Park the third SPAR Grand Prix 10km race of the 2026 series. photo credit: Ashlely Vlotman/Gallo Images
Glenrose Xaba:2025 SPAR Grand Prix champion, Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) will be looking to defend her Tshwane title on Saturday at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane at Supersport Park the third SPAR Grand Prix 10km race of the 2026 series. photo credit: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images
Neheng Khatala: Lesotho Athlete Neheng Khatala (Hollywood AC) will be one of the favourites on Saturday at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane at Supersport Park the third SPAR Grand Prix 10km race of the 2026 series. photo credit: Garren Stewart/Gallo Images
Selam Gebre: Ethiopian Athlete Selam Gebre (Nedbank) who finished second in the Durban leg of the SPAR Grand Prix in Durban in June will be hoping to go one better on Saturday at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Tshwane at Supersport Park the third SPAR Grand Prix 10km race of the 2026 series. photo credit: Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images
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