Honeydew sisters ready for the Port Elizabeth Challenge
HONEYDEW – Local professional athletes and sisters, Rene and Christine Kalmer are gearing up for the much anticipated 2015 Spar Women's 10km Challenge series.
South Africa’s top woman runners are gearing up for the second race in the 2015 Spar Women’s 10km Challenge series, to be run from Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth on 9 May.
The pair of accomplished sisters from Eagle Canyon, Honeydew, Rene and Christine Kalmer who finished fourth and fifth in the first race of the year in Cape Town will be making their own mark during the race.
Rene, who has won more challenge races than any other runner, has described the Port Elizabeth race as one of her favourites, and she will be trying to stamp her authority on the race.
“I have always liked the PE race,” said Rene.
“I like the course – it is the kind of course where you can give it all you have, and as long as the wind is not too bad, the course is a very fair one.
“If it is very windy, which it is sometimes, it can be tough, but I have always enjoyed running there,” Rene admitted.
Christine also expressed her excitement about the impending race.
“We did a marathon in Vienna, Austria three weeks back and we had a nice long break, so I am looking forward to the upcoming race,” she said.
The prize money for the Grand Prix has been boosted to a whopping R150 000, with the runner-up pocketing R50 000, and the third-placed runner R30 000.
The Grand Prix will be won by the runner with the most points after the five challenge races – in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria and Cape Town – have been completed. Bonus points are awarded for record-breaking finishes, and there are also prizes up for grabs in the various age group categories.
