“We are referring to 2025 as our ‘big five’ year at SPAR KZN,” shared Menelisi Luthuli, Marketing Director for SPAR KZN. “The year is 2025 and we are applauding five years for our netball tournament, 15 years for our hockey challenge, and 35 years for our Durban Women’s race.”

 
Celebrating 35, the renowned Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge is scheduled for Sunday 22 June. The inaugural race that began in 1990 had a small field of 2,200 participants. Starting on the then NMR Avenue, outside Kings Park Athletic Stadium, Colleen de Reuk historically broke the tape on the athletic track in an impressive time of 34.16. Currently, Namibian Helalia Johannes holds the fastest 10km time, blitzing her way around the new fast, flat Durban route in 31.18 in 2019. 
 
Over the 34 years, the race has encouraged 369,406 participants to share their morning running around Durban’s scenic spots. The largest race took place in 2015 with a field of 17,607. Race Director, Brad Glasspoole and his team work tirelessly to create a smooth experience from start to finish. Preparations are well underway to make the 35th race a memorable one. 
 
Tipping off the sporting year for SPAR KZN, the first of ten hockey tournaments takes place at Curro Hillcrest with the Highway Regional on Saturday 8 March. The tremendously successful SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge began in 2011, a vision of Tournament Director Les Galloway from SchoolGirlSport. 
 
Fifteen years later, the tournament has had 130 victorious teams hoist their trophies after their regionals. The tournament is split up into ten regionals with a Grand Final rounding off the annual challenge. Thirty-two schools have participated in the Grand Finals with three schools being crowned the overall champions, St Anne’s College, St Mary’s D.S.G. and Durban Girls’ College. 
 
In 2019 the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Fast 5’s Netball Challenge was launched. Beginning with only four tournaments, it quickly grew to seven after its well-received inception. Expanding to eight tournaments in the challenge’s fourth year, the Fast 5’s Challenge is looking forward to continuing growing in its fifth year, and beyond. 
 
Eighteen teams have conquered their opponents in the 25 different regionals held since 2019 with Hillcrest High School; Durban Girls’ College and Dundee High School earning themselves double victories and Shayamoya Area Secondary School and Kingsway High School earning triple titles. Having wrapped up the 2024 season, Tournament Director, Marguerite Wagner is hard at work creating a memorable fifth year.
 
Luthuli concludes, ‘We worked out that over the 35 years, SPAR KZN has directly interacted and encouraged being healthier with just under 600,000 people through these three events – everyone from athletes to referees, coaches and managers and spectators. A truly phenomenal figure!’
 
For more info on all the events, please visit www.spar.co.za or find out more on the individual social media channels. 

Pictured: Brad Glasspoole (SPAR KZN Womens Challenge), Nozi Mkhize (SPAR KZN) and Les Galloway (SPAR KZN Schoolgirls Hockey and Netball Challenge) Photo: Val Adamson