My marathons

SPAR Women's Challenge Gqeberha

Run on 26 September 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Gqeberha
Gqeberha
Gqeberha. Photograph by Leo za1, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2026 SPAR Women's Challenge in Gqeberha ran on Saturday 26 September from the Pollok Beach grass area in Summerstrand, with the timed 10 km starting at 07:00 and the 5 km at 08:00.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Pollok Beach, 10 km at 07:00 and 5 km at 08:0026 September 2026: 10 km at 07:00, 5 km at 08:00, Pollok Beach.
  • 6,130 women on the start line6,130 women in 2026, the entry cap was 6,000.
  • A newly designed course, won in 31:17New 2026 course; the 10 km was won in 31:17.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseTacticsPollok Beach, 10 km at 07:00 and 5 km at 08:0026 September 2026: 10 km at 07:00, 5 km at 08:00, Pollok Beach.

The organiser describes the 5 km and 10 km routes as one of South Africa’s most scenic coastal routes. Race packs were handed out during race week and from 05:30 on the morning, and the 10 km also counted for Discovery Vitality points.

Sourced

Whole courseCrowd6,130 women on the start line6,130 women in 2026, the entry cap was 6,000.

The Gqeberha race is the penultimate leg of the SPAR Grand Prix series. Before the start the field held a moment of silence in memory of a woman who died while running in Kempton Park earlier that month.

Sourced

Whole courseGeometryA newly designed course, won in 31:17New 2026 course; the 10 km was won in 31:17.

The winner called the route very fast and said it could produce multiple records in future. The top seven finishers all ran under 33:30.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Race fuel for Gqeberha

One gel every 40 minutes once you are past about 75 minutes of running, plus a spare.

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

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We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
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