CELEBRATION CELEBRATION
This Day Is Yours
I have always believed that putting one foot in front of the other is one of the most powerful things a woman can do - not only on Challenge Day, but in life. It means that we are moving forward at whatever pace we choose – but at least we are moving in a direction, and not standing still. It is this that gives me my motivation for running –and to reach what often seem like impossible goals.
The SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge is now in its 36th year, and every edition reminds me why this event is so much more than a race. It is a gathering, a collective exhale, for us women who spend so much of our lives showing up for everyone else. This is the day we show up for ourselves.
#CelebrateHer is our theme this year, and it means exactly what it says. It is time to celebrate you – and all you offer and mean to your family, friends, community, and the world. All you need to do is show up and start.
We celebrate the elite athlete chasing podium glory, the tired mom who registered on a whim, the best friends who signed up together, the woman who told herself she wasn’t a runner and then proved herself wrong.
Whether this is your 36th Challenge or your very first, whether you run, jog, or walk, you know that you belong here, and isn’t it fantastic that the women surrounding you are cheering you on too.
Here’s to a brilliant day filled with laughter, joy, and sisterhood.
Nozipho Mkhize Advertising and Sponsorship Manager – SPAR KwaZulu-Natal
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE
Welcome to SPAR THE Women’s Challenge DURBAN 2026!
F or 36 years, the Durban SPAR Women’s 10/5km Challenge has brought women together in a spirit of courage, camaraderie, and celebration –with community at the heart of it.
What started in KwaZulu-Natal has grown into one of South Africa’s most iconic womenfocused sporting events, and we are proud to continue celebrating the thousands of women who make this event so meaningful as we #CelebrateHer.
At its heart, the Challenge gathers women for a fun, healthy celebration – while honouring those who choose to run as a career. To that end, our Challenge continues to play a significant role in the national SPAR Grand Prix series for elite runners, with the total prize purse across five regions growing to R2 million this year.
However, the true value of this event has never been in the prize money alone — it lies in the spirit of unity as women come together with a shared purpose and sense of community. Here in KwaZulu-Natal, our commitment to women and girls is clear – through support for schoolgirls’ hockey and netball, and the regional tournaments that have built confidence and ambition in thousands of young women.
Every step taken in this Challenge carries that intention forward.
This year, we are proud to partner with iThemba Lethu, based in Manor Gardens here in Durban – an organisation dedicated to investing in children from their earliest years.
A total of R5 from every Challenge entry goes directly to this cause, ensuring that each participant contributes to something far greater than merely crossing the finish line.
At SPAR, our brand has always stood for more than retail, built on a deep belief in community and connection. As a proudly South African brand with strong roots in KwaZulu-Natal, we are committed to giving back in the communities within which we operate.
The Women’s Challenge is not merely a sponsorship – it is a reflection of who we are.
To every woman who has entered, encouraged a friend to enter, gathered friends and family, or simply shown up to cheer and support – thank you. You are the heart of this Challenge. SPAR celebrates you, not only on Challenge Day, but every day!
Enjoy the 2026 Challenge!
Ralph Rajagopaul Marketing Director – SPAR KwaZulu-Natal
sparwomenschallenge.co.za
Remember to share your experience with the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban community on Challenge Day by posting on social media and using the official hashtags!
@SPARWomens10and5kmRace
@sparwomenskzn
@SPARLadiesRace
This year, every SPAR Women’s Challenge entrant receives a R500 Trenton voucher as part of their Challenge pack. Trenton is a South African footwear retailer with a portfolio spanning fitness and lifestyle brands — the perfect partner for women who love to move. Use your voucher in-store or online, nationwide. Simply scan the QR code in your magazine to shop the Trenton online store and redeem your voucher from wherever you are. Because Challenge Day is only the beginning — and you deserve to be celebrated every step of the way.
Mark your calendar!
The SPAR Women’s Challenge is coming to Maritzburg! Join thousands of women for a morning of movement, joy, and community. Whether you’re walking the 5km with friends or taking on the 10km challenge, this is your day to #CelebrateHer.
We know you love your goodie bag — and this year, the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban is shaking things up. When you collect your Challenge pack at registration, you will receive your Challenge T-shirt, your My Durban Challenge magazine, and your race number.
Cross the finish line on Challenge Day, and your medal and goodie bag will be right there to celebrate you. It is the perfect reminder that the reward comes after the effort — and trust us, it will feel so much better earned.
So lace up, show up, and finish strong. Everything worth having is waiting for you on the other side. PUBLISHER
Something wonderful happens when women gather. There is laughter that fills the air, pride that brings tears to your eyes, and a warmth that only grows when a community chooses to show up — together. That is the heartbeat of #CelebrateHer; the theme that drives the 2026 SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban. Following the journey of empowerment that began with #iRise in 2022 and continued with 2025’s #Twenty20Thrive, #CelebrateHer is a natural and inspiring progression — one that honours every woman’s courage, compassion, and contribution. This movement reinforces SPAR’s commitment to uplift women through initiatives that promote wellness, inclusion, and shared value, creating space for joy, recognition, and the kind of celebration that extends far beyond Challenge Day.
DESIGN & LAYOUT
Aneska Meintjes +27 66 489 2915
aneska@freeradicalmedia.co.za
IMAGES © iStockphoto.com, 123RF, Val Adamson, Reg Caldecott, Rogan Ward
ADVERTISING SALES info@freeradicalmedia.co.za
CONTRIBUTORS
Nozipho
Serena Jagadasan, Leanne Taylor, GLS
Mkhize, Eleanore Pillay, Ralph Rajagopaul,, Kim Smit, Lwandle Masoka, Yolanda Bukani, Tayla Kavanagh, Gugulethu Sokhela, iThemba Lethu, Durban and Coastal Mental Health,
Photography by Val Adamson
Three ways
SPAR is making
everyday life easier
Just in time for Challenge Day
SPAR Mobile: Data That Doesn’t Disappear
SPAR Mobile is a straightforward swap, better rates on airtime and data, from a brand you already trust. Shop at SPAR and earn free data rewards, and your bundles don’t expire. Pick up a SIM at any SPAR store and port your existing number if you want to keep it. More at sparmobile.co.za
You’ve done the hard work. You’ve registered, you’ve trained, and on 28 June, you’ll be at Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium ready to go. The last thing you need is a week that runs you ragged before you even cross the start line. SPAR gets that, and three of its smartest tools are designed to give you a little more breathing room.
SPAR Rewards: Instant Value, No Strings
Every time you swipe your SPAR Rewards card at the till, you unlock immediate savings, exclusive discounts, in-store specials, and personalised offers based on what you actually buy. No points to track, no thresholds to reach. You shop, you save, that’s it. If you’re not already using it, picking one up at your nearest SPAR takes about 30 seconds.
SPAR2U: Your Store, Your Door
The SPAR2U app brings your local SPAR straight to you — fresh produce, pantry staples, all of it. Each order comes from your specific store, not a warehouse, so you still get the products you know. For a busy week before Challenge Day, taking grocery runs off your list makes a real difference. Download on the App Store or Google Play, or check delivery availability at spar.co.za/spar2u.
Do you have questions before Challenge Day? We’ve got you covered. From entering online to collecting your Challenge Pack, here’s everything you need to know to make the most of your SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban 2026 experience — so all you have to think about on the day is showing up, celebrating, and having the time of your life.
How do I enter online?
Entries for the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban 2026 are now closed. For future events, enter via sparwomenschallenge.co.za, select Durban, complete the form, choose your distance, and pay online. You’ll receive a confirmation email once payment is successful.
Can I pay in-store at SPAR?
Entries for the 2026 Durban event are closed. For future events, choose the Pay In-Store option when entering online, receive a barcode via email, and pay at any SPAR in KwaZulu-Natal within 24 hours. Instore payments are automatically entered into a R10 000 SPAR voucher draw.
When do entries close?
Entries are now closed for the 2026 event as capacity has been reached.
Are late entries available?
Entries are closed for 2026. For future events, limited late entries may be available at race registration, subject to a late entry fee. Card payments only; no cash accepted.
Can I enter as a group or bulk?
Entries for 2026 are closed. For future events, bulk entries (10 or more) can be made online via the bulk entry portal. Payments must be completed upfront, and packs collected by a designated team coordinator.
Who can enter?
The 5km Fun Run is open to everyone aged 9 years and older. The 10km Challenge is open to females aged 14 years and older only — no male entries are accepted for the 10km.
What does my entry fee include?
Your R200 entry fee includes:
• Your Challenge T-shirt
• A copy of My Durban Challenge magazine
• A goodie bag (collected at the finish line after having completed the event)
• A finisher’s medal
• A temporary ASA licence for the 10km (if required — at an additional R60)
Are substitutions or refunds allowed?
No substitutions and no refunds are permitted under any circumstances.
Where do I collect my Challenge Pack?
Challenge Pack collection takes place at the
Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium Outer Fields:
• Friday, 26 June 2026 - 10h00 to 18h00
• Saturday, 27 June 2026 - 10h00 to 16h00
• Vehicle and pedestrian access is via Virgin Active in Isaiah Ntshangase Road. Free parking is available on Kings Park Field 9.
Will there be collection on Challenge Day?
No. Challenge Packs must be collected on the Friday or Saturday before the event. There will be no collection on Challenge Day, Sunday, 28 June 2026.
What do I need to bring for collection?
Bring your entry confirmation email or code. Manual entrants will need to complete entry information on the FinishTime Passport App at the registration venue.
What are the start times?
• 10km Challenge: 08h00
• 5km Fun Run: 09h00
What is the cut-off time?
• 10km: 2 hours 30 minutes (closes 10h30)
• 5km: 1 hour 30 minutes (closes 10h30)
Where is the start and finish?
• Start: Masabalala Yengwa Avenue, outside Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium
• Finish: Hollywoodbets Kings Park Outer Fields
What
do
I need to wear on Challenge
Day?
All participants must wear their SPAR race bib on the FRONT of their vest or shirt. Your race bib includes an electronic timing chip — ensure it is fully visible and not bent or folded. For licensed athletes, the bib must be placed over the numeric portion of the ASA licence number only (not on shorts — as per ASA/KZNA rules).
Will there be water and refreshments on route?
Yes. There are four refreshment stations on the 10km route and two on the 5km route. Food and refreshments will also be available for purchase at the finish venue.
Are goodie bags distributed at the start?
No — goodie bags and medals are issued to finishers at the finish line after having completed the Challenge.
Is there a tog bag facility?
Yes, a tog bag facility is available at the finish venue in the marquee next to the main stage. Please do not leave valuables in your tog bag — organisers accept no liability for lost or stolen items.
Is parking available?
Yes, parking is available at various parking areas near the race precinct at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Rugby Stadium.
Can I wear headphones or earphones?
Music players with earphones are not permitted in terms of ASA rules.
Are pets allowed?
Unfortunately, no pets are permitted at the event.
Will medical staff be on duty?
Yes, medical staff will be on duty throughout the event.
When does the prize-giving take place?
The prize-giving is scheduled to begin at 10h00. Lucky draws will also be held during the event.
How do I stand a chance to win a car?
This year, Hyundai is sponsoring a brandnew Hyundai Exter to be won at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban. Simply enter the Challenge — all registered Durban participants are automatically entered into the lucky draw. No final draw required! Terms and conditions apply; visit sparwomenschallenge.co.za for the full rules.
How do I get in touch with the race office?
• Enquiry line: 087 330 0001 (Weekdays 08h00–17h00)
• Email: SPARDBN@FinishTime.co.za
• Website: sparwomenschallenge.co.za
Captured in the Crowd #Twenty20Thrive
Challenge Day 2025 was nothing short of electric.
Thousands of women took to the streets of Durban — not just to run or walk, but to rise, to connect, and to celebrate every season of their lives. The spirit of #Twenty20Thrive was felt in every corner of Kings Park: in the laughter at the start, the determination at the finish line, and the joy in every goodie bag collected. Whether it was a first brave 5km or a personal-best 10km, every stride told a story of a woman choosing to thrive — not just survive. From the tog bag area to the final medal presentation, SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban 2025 reminded us that when women are given space to grow, entire communities flourish alongside them.
This Year, Comes with Keys SPAR
and Hyundai are giving one Durban lady the ultimate prize
Durban, your Challenge just got even more exciting. SPAR and Hyundai are giving one lucky participant at the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban the chance to drive home in a brandnew Hyundai Exter — and all you have to do is show up and celebrate.
Whether you’re walking the 5km with your girls or pushing hard on the 10km, every single entrant is in with a chance. This is Durban doing what Durban does best; turning a great day out into something you’ll never forget.
How to Enter
• Enter the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban — 5km or 10km; the choice is yours.
• On Challenge Day, tear off the competition strip from your official race number.
• Drop it into the entry box at the stage area before the draw takes place.
• Stay at the stage for the lucky draw — if your name is called and you’re not there, we’ll draw again.
Who Can Enter?
• You must be female and 18 or older.
• A valid driver’s licence is required to take the prize.
A Few Important Conditions to Know
• Complete the 5km or 10km Challenge and cross the finish line to qualify.
• Keep your race number safe, as it serves as proof of participation should your number be drawn.
• Each participant receives one entry, ensuring every woman has an equal opportunity to win.
• Have a valid driver’s licence available, as it will be required to claim the vehicle.
• Be present at the prize giving ceremony. If your race number is drawn and you are not there, the prize will be forfeited and another winner will be selected.
Mark Your Calendar
Date: 28 June 2026
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Limited to 12 500 entries only
The Durban sun warming your back, the crowd buzzing all around you, #CelebrateHer in the air — and then your name rings out over the speakers. The keys to a brand-new Hyundai Exter could be yours.
#CelebrateHer is not a moment — it’s a movement. And movements need women brave enough to lead them. This year’s SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban ambassadors bring stories of joy, resilience, and community that reflect the heart of Durban itself. Alongside them, our Women of Impact bring a depth of courage that will leave a lasting mark on every woman who reads their stories.
Photography Pic by Val Adamson
The Woman Behind the Mic
Lwandle Masoka
Lwandle is a radio personality, content creator, and storyteller whose platform is built on one simple belief: women don’t have to be perfect to be powerful. Grounded in faith, family, and authentic connection, she uses her voice, on air and online, to create spaces where women feel genuinely seen. For Lwandle, the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban is the embodiment of everything she stands for: thousands of women from all walks of life choosing themselves, celebrating each other, and showing up with joy. Her message to every woman on the fence? Taking that first step means you’ve already won.
Still Here.
Still Running
Yolanda Bukani
Yolanda is a mother, a cancer survivor, and a woman who understands better than most what it means to fight simply to still be here. Diagnosed when her son Jody was just 11 months old, she endured stem cell treatment, weeks of isolation, and the kind of uncertainty that strips life down to its most essential question: Will I get to watch him grow up? Running found her again after cancer — no longer about performance, but about healing, gratitude, and reconnecting with a body that had carried her through the unimaginable. Every time she stands at a start line, she carries that version of herself with her. On 28 June, her presence is its own statement.
WOMaN OF IMPACT
Eleanore Pillay
A mother of three, woman of faith, and passionate community builder, Eleanore is committed to inspiring those around her. Actively involved in church and community initiatives, she serves as both a worship and youth leader, encouraging others to walk boldly in purpose and faith. Balancing family, career, and service with grace, she believes true impact comes from uplifting others and trusting God through every season. Her passion for empowering women and creating meaningful connections reflects the spirit of #CelebrateHer. She lives by the belief that every woman is “fearfully and wonderfully made”, created with purpose, strength, and beauty. She looks forward to celebrating alongside thousands of incredible women on Challenge Day, honouring the beauty within every woman’s journey.
Fast Legs, Full Heart
Tayla Kavanagh
Tayla knows that the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban is two events in one: the competitive field she lines up in, and the sea of women behind her who are there purely for the love of it. As a proud member of Hollywood Athletics Club and a competitive runner who traces her love of the sport back to her school days, Tayla brings both grit and genuine warmth to Challenge Day. She’ll tell you that pressure and joy aren’t opposites, that the best performances come when you’re actually having fun. And when the finish line is behind her, she stays to soak up the energy, because that’s what it’s really all about.
The Heart Behind the Hustle Gugulethu
Sokhela
For Gugu, connection is everything. As an Advertising Controller at SPAR and a passionate side-business baker known for her whimsical custom cakes, she moves through the world with purpose, kindness, and an infectious enthusiasm that draws people in. Gugu has been part of the SPAR family long enough to understand what the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban really represents — and being named a 2026 ambassador, she says, feels surreal. For her, the title is less about recognition and more about responsibility: to show up, to encourage, and to remind women that they are capable of far more than they think.
More
Than a
Moment Moment
SPAR Stands with Her Every Day
When thousands of women lace up their trainers and take to the streets for the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban, they are not simply taking part in a fun run. They are joining a movement. Because for SPAR, celebrating women is not a once-a-year event — it is a 365-day commitment, woven into the fabric of everything the brand does.
Two campaigns in particular bring that commitment to life with real, tangible impact: the End GBV initiative and the #SPAREndPeriodPoverty campaign. Together, they illustrate what it truly means to #CelebrateHer.
Standing Up, Speaking Out
South Africa’s gender-based violence (GBV) crisis is one of the most urgent social challenges facing the country. Since 2019, SPAR has refused to look away. What began as a commitment to raise awareness has grown into a multi-faceted, year-round programme of action — reaching women in boardrooms, classrooms, shopping aisles and communities in need.
In September 2024, SPAR South Africa joined the Private Sector Coalition Against Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (PSC) — a significant step that embeds GBV prevention into its corporate governance. The PSC framework focuses on prevention, protection and enforcement, helping member organisations develop best practices and create safer environments for women and girls.
The campaign’s reach is extraordinary. SPAR supports LifeLine South Africa, contributing food and care packs to Thuthuzela Care Centres (TCCs) — holistic, NPA-led support facilities that achieve a conviction rate of 77.8%, compared to a national average of just 3%. SPAR even helped fund the construction of a new TCC in rural KwaZulu-Natal, where access to survivor support is most limited.
One of the campaign’s most farreaching touchpoints is the humble shopping bag. GBV victim information — including helpline numbers and support resources — is printed directly on SPAR carrier bags, ensuring that critical information is available to every shopper, in every store, on every visit. It is a quiet but powerful act of visibility.
The annual 16 Days of Activism campaign further amplifies this reach. Each year, SPAR produces a dedicated digital content series — including the 2025 edition — spotlighting women’s stories, challenging gender norms, and providing education on rights and resources. Internally, SPAR has launched a confidential safe space at its head office for employees experiencing domestic violence, aligning its workplace culture with its public commitments.
GBV HELPLINES
0800 150 150 LifeLine: 0860 313 141
Breaking the Silence on Period Poverty
Period poverty is not just a health issue — it is a barrier to education, sport, selfconfidence and equality. Approximately 7 million women and girls in South Africa currently face challenges accessing basic menstrual hygiene products. Around 30% of school-going girls miss four to five days of school per month as a result. That translates to roughly 25% of their annual learning opportunities — a quiet, preventable crisis that holds an entire generation back.
SPAR has been committed to changing this reality since 2019, when it launched the SPAR Petals house brand — a range of quality, affordable sanitary pads, tampons, and pantyliners, available at competitive prices across most of its 2 500 independently owned stores. Since then, over 14 million packs have been donated and distributed to charities across South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini.
In October 2024, SPAR formalised its goal: to end period poverty in South Africa by 2030. Launched alongside Netball SA ahead of the South Africa vs Malawi Test Series, the #SPAREndPeriodPoverty campaign drew a powerful connection between menstrual health, women’s participation in sport, and gender equality — values that sit at the heart of the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban itself.
The Challenge plays a direct role in the campaign’s distribution network. Each year, over 1 million boxes of Petals products are donated through Challenge events in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Tshwane and Mbombela. These products are then channelled into schools in underprivileged communities, keeping girls in class, in sport, and in the running for their futures.
The campaign also makes donations to the National Prosecuting Authority’s
TCCs, family crisis centres, safe homes, and police stations, further extending SPAR’s support to women at their most vulnerable.
This Is What #CelebrateHer Looks Like
Both campaigns share the same DNA as the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban itself: a belief that women deserve more than applause. They deserve action. SPAR does not position itself as a hero in these stories — it shows up as an enabler, a partner and a platform for change.
When you cross the finish line this Challenge Day in Durban, know that your entry fee, your energy, and your presence are part of something much larger. The laughter, the confetti, the #CelebrateHer T-shirts — they are all expressions of a commitment that does not end when the route is packed up, and the medals are handed out.
By 2030, no girl in South Africa should miss school because of period poverty. No woman should feel ashamed of menstruation. And no community should stay silent about gender-based violence.
14 MILLION+ packs donated since 2019
1 MILLION+ boxes donated annually through the Women’s Challenge
Every Child
a Champion
There is a name that means everything in the Cato Manor community of Durban; iThemba Lethu. In isiZulu, it translates simply as “our hope” — and for the children and young people whose lives this extraordinary organisation touches, that is exactly what it is.
This year, the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban has chosen iThemba Lethu as its official 2026 race charity; a partnership that feels as natural as it does meaningful. For an event that has always been about women coming together to celebrate strength, community, and the belief that small steps create lasting change, iThemba Lethu is a perfect match — an organisation quietly, powerfully, and relentlessly championing the futures of the most vulnerable.
Twenty-Five Years of Turning Hardship into Hope
Founded in November 2000 by Professor Anna Coutsoudis, iThemba Lethu has spent a quarter of a century
doing the kind of work that transforms communities from the inside out. Based in Manor Gardens, it serves the greater Cato Manor area; a community where poverty, gender-based violence, and the ongoing legacy of inequality create daily challenges for families and children.
From the beginning, the organisation’s philosophy has been clear; start young, follow through, and let the data guide the work. It is an approach that is as practical as it is compassionate — and the results speak for themselves.
Today, iThemba Lethu runs three core programmes, each addressing a different but interconnected piece of the same puzzle; giving every child the best possible start, and the support to see it through.
Destiny for Youth
The largest of iThemba Lethu’s programmes, Destiny for Youth works directly in nine schools across Cato Manor, reaching young people from Grades 4 to 12. The focus is on life skills, literacy, mentorship, and leadership — the building blocks that too many children in under-resourced communities are denied.
More than 1 000 children currently benefit from the literacy component alone, with a further 800 receiving mentorship and personal development support. Weekly progress assessments ensure that every child’s journey is tracked and that help reaches those who need it most, imparting financial and digital skills to set children up for life after school with practical pathways to hope. This is not a once-off visit or a feel-good workshop — it is a consistent, sustained investment in a generation that deserves better.
Baby Homes
iThemba Lethu operates two Baby Homes in Manor Gardens, providing full-time, loving care for up to 12 abandoned and vulnerable babies at a time, from newborn to three years old. These little ones — placed in iThemba Lethu’s care by welfare departments from across Durban and KwaZulu-Natal — are nurtured by dedicated caretakers while the organisation’s social worker works to find each child a permanent, loving family. Crucially, this entire
adoption facilitation process is carried out at no cost to the adoptive family. Over the past two decades, iThemba Lethu has successfully placed more than 155 children into stable, loving homes.
The belief driving this work is straightforward; early childhood is one of the most critical windows in a human life. What happens in those first years shapes everything that follows. By ensuring that abandoned babies receive consistent, nurturing care from their very first days, iThemba Lethu is giving them the foundation every child deserves.
The Community Breastmilk Bank
Perhaps the most pioneering aspect of iThemba Lethu’s work is its Community Breastmilk Bank — the first of its kind in South Africa. Established in partnership with the Department of Health, the bank gives breastfeeding mothers the opportunity to donate their excess milk, which is then carefully screened and pasteurised before being given to the babies in the Baby Homes.
The impact is profound. Breastmilk
is the single most powerful source of nutrition and immunity for newborns, and for babies who have been separated from their mothers, access to it can be life-changing. The bank currently collects over 400 litres of donated milk each year — a remarkable community effort that reflects both the generosity of Durban’s women and the quiet brilliance of iThemba Lethu’s approach.
Your Challenge Day Contribution
This year, R5 from every entry into the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban will be donated directly to iThemba Lethu. It is a small amount that becomes something enormous in the aggregate — a community of women, walking and running together, collectively backing the futures of children who need a champion in their corner.
When you cross that start line at Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium on Sunday, 28 June, you carry more than only your own story. You carry the belief that communities are made stronger when we show up for one another — on
the road, and off it.
The theme of this year’s Challenge is #CelebrateHer. What better way to honour that spirit than by supporting an organisation founded by a woman, led largely by women, and dedicated to ensuring that the children of Cato Manor grow up knowing that someone believed in them?
Because every child deserves a champion, and on Challenge Day, that champion is you.
To find out more about iThemba Lethu and the life- changing work they do, www.ithembalethu.org.zavisit
IS THE PRIZE COMMUNITY
85 years of care, dignity, and inclusion with DCMH
For more than 85 years, Durban and Coastal Mental Health (DCMH) has been showing up for some of KwaZuluNatal’s most vulnerable communities. Founded when a group of dedicated professionals and community members recognised an urgent need for specialised support, DCMH has grown into one of the region’s leading providers of care and rehabilitation for persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities.
Today, thousands of beneficiaries and their families know DCMH as a place of hope, dignity, and genuine belonging. It’s the kind of organisation that reminds us why community matters — and why events like the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban exist.
Everyday Care, Life-Changing Impact
DCMH’s work spans residential care, day care centres, protective workshops, and dedicated social work programmes. Together, these services deliver holistic, person-centred support — from 24-hour care and nutritional meals to therapeutic programmes, medical management, and daily activities designed to help every individual grow and thrive.
For children with profound disabilities, DCMH’s six day care centres offer structured developmental programmes alongside vital guidance for families navigating complex needs. For adults, the focus shifts to skills development, economic empowerment, and meaningful inclusion — with tangible opportunities to earn, connect, and contribute.
Workshops, Work and Real-World Connection
One of the most extraordinary aspects of DCMH’s model is the way it connects beneficiaries to the wider community through its protective
workshops. Participants take on packaging and contract work for major Durban events — including the SPAR Women’s Challenge, the East Coast Big Walk, and the Comrades Marathon. It’s skills development in action, delivering real stipends, practical experience, and a genuine sense of pride and purpose.
This year, when you lace up and head out on Challenge Day, you’re part of something even bigger. The goodie bags you collect, the medals around your necks — many have been packed by DCMH beneficiaries who are quietly cheering you every step of the way.
A Community That Needs Your Support
DCMH receives subsidies from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and the Department of Social Development — but these don’t fully cover the growing demand for specialised care, staffing, nutrition, transport, and programme development. DCMH relies on donors, sponsors, and community partners to bridge the gap and keep its doors open to all who need them.
SPAR is proud to support organisations such as DCMH, whose work reflects the true spirit of #CelebrateHer — uplifting women, families, and communities across KwaZulu-Natal, one day at a time.
Beneficiary Reach DCMH
• 350 residents supported across 7 residential care centres
• 200 children receiving specialised support at 6 day care centres
• 730 adults with disabilities participating in 7 protective workshops
• 25 696 beneficiaries reached through social work interventions and support services
Contact DCMH
Tel: 031 207 3433
Email: dcmhmail@dcmh.org.za
For more information, visit www.dcmh.org.za.
Oat and Almond Breakfast Smoothie Fuel the
Every great Challenge Day starts long before the start line — it starts in the kitchen. Whether you’re blending a quick smoothie the morning of the Challenge or whipping up something indulgent to share with your crew afterwards, SPAR has you covered. These simple, delicious recipes are made for women who love good food without the fuss.
Quick and easy — perfect for on the move or when breakfast feels like too much
2 people Serves 5 min Prep time:
INGREDIENTS
• 50 g SPAR natural almonds
• 50 g SPAR instant oats (1 sachet)
• 2 ml ground cinnamon
• 125 ml SPAR low fat vanilla flavoured yoghurt
• 300 ml SPAR low fat milk
• 15 ml SPAR honey
Method
• Use a blender, food processor or stick processor to whip together all the ingredients until smooth and well mixed.
• Serve in two large glasses.
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
A healthier alternative that’s still rich, creamy and indulgent
15 min Prep time: 1 hour (to chill) Cook time:
4 people Serves
INGREDIENTS
• 2 SPAR Freshline avocados
• 1 slab (100 g) dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled (shave off some curls using a veg peeler prior to melting)
• ⅓ cup (25 g) SPAR cocoa powder
• ¼ cup SPAR honey
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for garnish
• Chocolate curls to serve
Method
• Slice and carefully remove the pip and peel from the avocados.
• In a food processor (or with an electric whisk), blend the avocados, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, honey, and cinnamon. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides and blend until fully incorporated and smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a piping bag (or plastic resealable bag) with a round nozzle. Neatly pipe the chocolate mousse into four dessert glasses and refrigerate for one hour or until chilled.
• Once the mousse has chilled, dust lightly with ground cinnamon and add a sprinkle of chocolate curls.
LEMON LOAF
20 minutes.
Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 1 Loaf
Ingredients
• 180 g self-raising flour
Makes:
Method
• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Put all the ingredients into a food processor and mix for 20 seconds or until the mixture is smooth.
• 5 ml (1 level tsp) baking powder
• 180 g (¾ cup) SPAR castor sugar
• 2 large SPAR eggs
• 60 ml (4 Tbsp) milk
• Grated lemon rind
Lemon drizzle
• 120 g (½ cup) SPAR castor sugar
• Juice of 1 SPAR Freshline lemon
• Bake in a large greased loaf tin for approximately 25 minutes (lower the heat to 160 °C when you put the loaf into the oven).
• To make the lemon drizzle, dissolve the castor sugar in the lemon juice. Mix vigorously with a whisk (do not heat). Spoon the drizzle over the hot lemon cake when it comes out of the oven and leave the cake in the tin until it is cool.
Better
Together Together
Why your friends might be the most important part of your health journey
There’s a particular kind of joy that happens when a group of women decide to do something together. Not for a medal. Not for a personal best. Just because it’s more fun that way.
I f you’ve ever signed up for the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban with your friends, your sister, your colleague, or the woman from your book club who somehow talked you into it — you already know exactly what we’re talking about. That buzz of group energy. The WhatsApp thread that spirals into logistics and memes, and someone asking if there will be snacks at the end. There will be snacks. There are always snacks.
Here’s something worth knowing; group energy isn’t just fun. It’s genuinely good for you.
The Science of Showing Up Together
Researchers have spent years looking at what actually gets people moving and staying moving. Spoiler: It’s not willpower. Willpower runs out around Wednesday afternoon when the couch is comfortable, and your trainers are in another room.
What consistently works is social accountability. When someone else is expecting you, you show up. When someone else is struggling, you slow down and walk alongside them. When you’re the one struggling, they don’t leave you behind.
A 2016 study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that people were significantly more likely to exercise when they had a friend doing it with them — not a personal trainer, not an app, just a friend. Another study found that people unconsciously match the habits of those closest to them, including physical activity levels. In short, your friends are either dragging you off the couch or keeping you on it.
Health is Bigger than the 5km
Here’s where we need to be clear about what “health” means. It’s not just what you do on Challenge Day. It’s the Tuesday morning walk. It’s the Friday evening where you choose tea and a long conversation over doomscrolling alone. It’s the moment you say to a friend, “I’ve been feeling a bit low” — and she says, “Me too. Let’s go outside.”
That kind of connection is well-being. Full stop.
Loneliness, studies show, carries real physical consequences — higher blood pressure, weakened immunity, disrupted sleep. Friendship, on the other hand, is almost embarrassingly good for your health. It reduces stress hormones. It increases your pain threshold. It even appears to help people live longer.
None of this means your friends need to become your gym partners. It means that investing in friendships is a form of self-care, and not the bubble-bath kind, the deep, sustaining kind that carries you through.
What SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban Actually Celebrates
Look around you at the 5km start line, and you’ll see it immediately. Women of every age, every background, every fitness level. Women who’ve trained for weeks. Women who decided last Tuesday that they were coming. Women in matching T-shirts. Women who are clearly here for the post-Challenge snacks more than the Challenge itself, and that is entirely valid.
The SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban has always been about more than finishing. It’s about the community that forms when women decide to show
up — for themselves, and for each other. #CelebrateHer is a natural expression of that. Not only celebrating achievement, but celebrating the fact that we’re here, together, choosing joy.
How to Keep the Momentum Going
Challenge Day is one day. Friendship is a practice. A few simple ways to keep the energy alive:
• Make it a regular thing. A monthly walk, a group swim, a Saturday morning that belongs to you all. It doesn’t need to be rigorous. It needs to be consistent.
• Check in, not just about fitness. Ask how she’s sleeping. How is work going? The friendship matters more than the step count.
• Celebrate the small stuff. Finishing a 5km matters. So does getting out of bed on a difficult day. Tell each other so.
• Bring someone new in. Think of a woman in your life who’s been a little isolated lately. Invite her. The group gets better the bigger it grows.
The Real Finish Line
There’s a moment near the end of the 5km — you’ve rounded the last bend, you can hear the noise of the finish area, and you look at the person beside you. Maybe you’ve known her for 20 years. Maybe you only met at the start line an hour ago. Either way, something passes between you.
That’s what this is all for. Not the time on the clock. Not even the Challenge pack.
It’s the look. The laugh. The “we actually did it”.
That moment is the whole point. Celebrate it. Celebrate her. Celebrate you.
Library Once Upon a
Every child who steps inside finds more than books — they find a future
There is a school in KwaZulu-Natal where the library used to be a storeroom. Shelves empty, door usually locked. Children walked past it every day without going in. That changed the day the Star Retailers Foundation arrived with boxes of books. It is a small story, the kind that does not make headlines, but for the children in that classroom — and the 12 schools that came before it — it is the one that matters most.
A Foundation with Deep Roots
The Star Retailers Foundation was started in 2021 by Serena Jagadasan, an independent SPAR retailer and Director of Star Retailers — a group of SPAR and SUPERSPAR stores united by a shared belief that business should serve the people around it.
The foundation’s flagship initiative, Dream Big Little Reader, was built around a simple observation; in many public schools, the library had quietly stopped working. Budget pressures, infrastructure backlogs, and policy gaps had left shelves bare and children without books to take home.
Rather than look away, the foundation chose to act.
Focused on KwaZulu-Natal’s primary schools, Dream Big Little Reader sets out to rebuild and refurbish school libraries from the ground up — not only restocking shelves, but creating spaces that feel welcoming; colourful, dignified, and designed to make a child want to sit down and stay a while.
Thirteen Libraries and Counting
With the launch of its 13th library this year, the programme has grown steadily since its first installation. Each library is stocked with age-appropriate books, carefully chosen for the learners who will use them.
Ten SPAR and SUPERSPAR stores across South Africa fund the work — eight in KwaZulu-Natal, two in Gauteng — pooling resources to make something possible that no single store could do alone.
This year also marks 18 years of SUPERSPAR Starwood in Phoenix — the group’s flagship store, which first opened its doors in 2008. From the first day, it has been built around four values; success, team, attitude, and respect. The fact that its anniversary lands alongside the 13th library feels like the right kind of coincidence.
More Than a Milestone
Numbers tell part of the story. Thirteen libraries. Ten stores. Eighteen years. But the real measure is more difficult to count.
It is the child who checks out a book on a Friday and returns it on Monday having read it twice. The teacher who notices that her class is quieter now — not because they are bored, but because they are reading. The parent who asks their child what the story was about and hears an answer that surprises them.
Literacy is the kind of investment that compounds quietly. A child who reads with confidence at eight has a different relationship with school at twelve, and a different set of options at eighteen. The Foundation knows this. It is precisely why it keeps building.
Thirteen libraries. Ten stores. The measure is more difficult to count than the numbers suggest. As Serena puts it: When children are given the tools to dream big, communities rise together. No one is left behind.
That is not a tagline. It is what happened in that school with the old storeroom — and in 12 others just like it.
#CelebrateHer
At this year’s SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban, we celebrate not only the women lining up at the start, but the ones who show up every day in the spaces that shape our children. The teacher. The founder. The retailer who decides that giving back is not optional.
Dream Big Little Reader is their story too.
The Stores Behind the Dream
SUPERSPAR Starwood
SUPERSPAR Waterloo
SPAR Golden Gate
SPAR St Georges
SUPERSPAR Sea Point
SUPERSPAR West Street
SUPERSPAR Chatsworth
SPAR Chelsea
You are the celebration
Why honouring yourself - in big ways and small - is one of the most powerful things you can do for your mental health celebration
“You
can’t pour from an empty cup, but somewhere along the way, most of us forgot that filling the cup was even allowed.”
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with sleep. It creeps in when you spend months, sometimes years, giving everything to everyone else, while quietly, carefully, setting yourself aside. You tell yourself you’ll rest later. You’ll treat yourself once the deadline passes, once the kids are settled, once things slow down. But they rarely do. And you rarely do.
Mental health professionals have long understood what many of us are only now beginning to accept; self-celebration is not vanity. It is not selfishness dressed up in a nice outfit. It is, in fact, a foundational act of self-care — one that directly supports emotional resilience, reduces anxiety, and builds the kind of self-worth that carries you through life’s more difficult chapters.
This Challenge Day, as thousands of women lace up and take to the streets under the banner of #CelebrateHer, the invitation extends far beyond the route itself. It is an invitation to look inward — and to ask yourself, honestly: When last did I truly celebrate myself?
The Science of Celebrating Yourself
When we acknowledge our own achievements, however small, our brains release dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with motivation and reward. In plain language; celebrating yourself quite literally makes you feel better, and makes you more likely to keep going. It reinforces the belief that your efforts matter. That you matter.
Research also shows a strong link between self-compassion and lower rates of depression and anxiety. A leading researcher in the field describes self-compassion as treating yourself with the same kindness you would extend to a close friend. Not letting yourself off the hook, but offering yourself understanding, particularly in moments of struggle or failure.
For women in South Africa, who so often carry the weight of family, community, and work in equal measure, this is not a small thing. It is a radical thing. A necessary thing.
The Big and Small of It
Celebration does not have to be grand to be meaningful. Yes, crossing the finish line on Challenge Day — whether you walked the 5km with your best friend, your daughter, or a group of colleagues — is absolutely worth celebrating. It represents something you chose to show up for. That counts.
But so does the Tuesday afternoon when you chose to take a walk instead of doom-scrolling. So does the morning you said no to a commitment that would have left you stretched too thin. So does the moment you looked in the mirror and, instead of cataloguing what you wish were different, simply said: I am doing my best, and my best is enough. These small moments of acknowledgement are not indulgent. They are the building blocks of mental well-being. They tell your nervous system that you are safe. That you are seen — at least by the one person who matters most; yourself.
SPAR understands this, which is why the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban is designed not as an elite sporting event, but as a community celebration. The vibe is joy. The point is connection. Whether you are there for the 10km or strolling the 5km at your own pace — chatting, laughing, taking photos along the way — you are doing something quietly radical. You are choosing yourself.
The Challenge pack waiting for you at registration, the music, the SPAR refreshments along the route — all of it is designed to hold you in a space that says: Today is for you.
When Celebrating Feels Hard
For some women, celebration, even the small, private kind, does not come easy. If you have grown up being told not to show off, or if years of stress and loss have made it difficult to locate your own joy, know this; that difficulty is not a character flaw. It is a signal worth listening to.
Mental health support is available, and seeking it is itself an act of selfcelebration. Talking to a counsellor,
joining a support group, or simply reaching out to a trusted friend to say “I am not okay right now” — these are not signs of weakness. They are signs that you value yourself enough to ask for what you need.
When she laces up her shoes and joins the crowd, she doesn’t walk or run alone — she carries the stories of those who came before her and those who stand beside her.
Start Todayand Make it a Habit
Mental health is not a destination. It is a daily practice, a series of small choices that, over time, shape how you see yourself and how you move through the world. Self-celebration is part of that practice.
You do not need a finish line to celebrate. You do not need a special occasion, a certain weight, a promotion, or a milestone birthday. You need only the willingness to pause — in the middle of an ordinary day — and acknowledge that you are here. That you are trying. That is more than enough.
So take the walk. Buy the flowers for yourself. Call the friend you have been missing. Sign up for the Challenge — not because you want to prove something, but because you deserve a day that is entirely, joyfully yours.
#CelebrateHer starts with you.
Small ways to celebrate yourself today
• Take your tea or coffee outside — without your phone
• Write down one thing you did well this week
• Put on a song that makes you feel unstoppable and actually listen to it
• Say no to one thing that drains you
• Book that appointment you have been putting off
• Tell a friend you are proud of her — and let her say it back to you
The Best Marketing Feels Like Home
Leanne Taylor has spent 12 years growing with SPAR — and she’s only getting started.
Leanne Taylor never planned a career in retail. In 2013, she walked into SUPERSPAR Umlazi Mega City in KwaZulu-Natal for a casual graphic designer role — and never really left.
Twelve years later, she is Marketing Manager for the Mega Group of SPAR stores, studying towards a BBA in Retail Management, and the woman behind some of the Mega Group’s most community-rooted campaigns. The career she loves was never the one she planned for, and she’ll be the first to tell you that’s perfectly okay.
“Looking back now, it’s amazing to think that what started as a three-halfdays-a-week graphic design position turned into a career that I genuinely love,” she says.
“People can immediately tell when something feels forced. The best marketing is when customers feel seen,
Leanne Taylor is Marketing Manager for the Mega Group of stores in KwaZulu-Natal.
understood, and genuinely connected to your store.”
For Leanne, meaningful marketing means showing up for the community — not merely promoting specials. Earlier this year, the Mega Group celebrated SUPERSPAR Umlazi Mega City’s 20th birthday by visiting 20 local schools, running 20 days of in-store giveaways, and giving one lucky customer R20 000. It’s the kind of campaign that reflects her instinct for connection over transaction.
That same instinct is what drew her to the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban. She entered her first Challenge in 2015 alongside her two daughters — and spotted several Mega Group colleagues on the route who had also entered alone. The following year, they entered together and a tradition was born.
“Over the years, it has become something really special because it’s
not just about the Challenge itself — it’s about connection, support, and celebrating women from all walks of life,” she says. This year, she’ll be back on the route at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on 28 June, daughters in tow, doing her best to keep up.
Ask Leanne what #CelebrateHer means to her and her answer is personal. She lost her mother young and it left her acutely aware of how much women carry — and how rarely they’re recognised for it. “It’s about recognising the strength of ordinary women doing extraordinary things every single day — often without recognition,” she says.
As for the women lacing up their shoes on Challenge Day? Her message is simple; enjoy every moment. “Whether you run, jog, dance or walk your way to the finish line, celebrate yourself and the women around you.”
BASICS BASICS BACK TO BACK TO
How Tayla Kavanagh finds her way back to what matters, every single time
There’s a version of Tayla Kavanagh most people see first; the focused athlete crossing finish lines, the Hollywoodbets Athletics Club vest, the times that make serious runners stop scrolling. Three SPAR Women’s Challenge Maritzburg titles. A recent Cape Town win. A woman who lines up at the front and means it.
But spend a few minutes in conversation with her and something else comes through — a quietness about the wins, a generosity about the losses, and a genuine warmth for the thousands of women who show up at the same events she does, for entirely different reasons.
“Just enjoy the morning,” she says, when asked what she’d want the nervous 5km starter to know. “Lining up with thousands of other women of various abilities, to enjoy the Challenge and have fun — that is very special.”
She means it. And that, perhaps more than any podium finish, is what makes Tayla the right ambassador for #CelebrateHer.
Home ground
Tayla grew up running. School corridors to starting pens — the progression, she says, was natural. But natural doesn’t mean easy, and she’s honest about the moments the sport nearly lost her. “When I nearly quit, I went back to basics. Kept things simple. Found the joy in running again.”
It’s a philosophy that sounds almost too straightforward until you realise how rarely elite athletes are willing to say it out loud. Joy isn’t a weakness in Tayla’s vocabulary — it’s a training tool.
For Challenge Day in Durban, that philosophy meets its best possible setting. The course is fast and flat; a genuine opportunity to test your speed.
But it’s the crowd that gets her.
“Having the home crowd shouting for me along the way is such a nice feeling,” she says. “Having that support — it means a lot.”
Durban is home. And Hollywoodbets Kings Park, on 28 June, will feel like it.
What winning teaches you and what it doesn’t
Ask Tayla about her victories and she’ll acknowledge them graciously. Ask her about falling short and she’ll lean in.
“Winning always feels fantastic, and I appreciate those moments because they are never guaranteed,” she says. “But falling short teaches us more lessons than winning. It builds perseverance and determination.”
It’s the kind of perspective that only comes from having genuinely experienced both — and having chosen to stay in the game through the harder times. There’s no performance in it. Tayla has navigated the gap between expectation and outcome enough times to know that the gap itself is where growth happens.
That understanding extends to how she sees the broader field around her on Challenge Day. The competitive Challenge, she acknowledges, is a different world from what most participants are experiencing. But once her race is run, she’s not retreating. “Once I’ve finished, I like to enjoy the vibes at the finish with everyone else.”
Purple shirts and a growing field
Being part of Hollywoodbets Athletics Club gives Tayla something she clearly values; belonging to something bigger than her own results.
“Seeing so many purple shirts on the roads is encouraging,” she says. “It reminds you that you are part of the same amazing team.”
It’s a sentiment that translates perfectly to what the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban represents at its core — women moving through the same streets, under the same sky, with their own reasons and their own pace, but sharing something real.
Women’s road running in South Africa, Tayla believes, is genuinely on the rise — and the reasons matter. Focus on women’s success and women doing well helps to lift the standards and encourages female athletes to push themselves further. Competition among women raises the tide for everyone.
For the young girl in Durban who reads this magazine and thinks, I want to do what she does, Tayla has advice that is both practical and quietly profound. “Patience and determination. Keep showing up and put in the effort every day. Have fun and enjoy the process — the results will come.”
On 28 June, at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Tayla will line up at the front again. But the thing she’s most proud of isn’t the times or the titles — it’s that she still genuinely loves being there.
That’s worth celebrating.
From the Start Line
She sacrificed Olympic glory, trained twice a day, and made history not once, but twice. Glenrose Xaba is the back-toback 2024 and 2025 SPAR Grand Prix Series champion — and she is not done yet.
A Class of Her Own
There is a quiet power to Glenrose. It does not announce itself — it simply shows up. And when the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban field lines up at the start this year, it will be felt again. Glenrose made history in 2024 when she became the first South African to win the SPAR Grand Prix Series since 2019 — and she had held that title
before, in 2018. She defended it again in 2025, cementing her name as the defining athlete of this generation’s SPAR Women’s Challenge era. Her Durban story runs just as deep: years of podium finishes on this course, before finally taking the title outright in 2025. This year, she arrives as both Grand Prix champion and defending Durban winner.
The Sacrifice Behind the Title
Winning the Grand Prix came with significant personal cost. In consultation with her mentor, the legendary Caster Semenya, Glenrose took the bold decision not to pursue Olympic qualification and instead channelled every ounce of her energy into the SPAR Women’s Challenge Grand Prix series. It was a choice that raised eyebrows — and ultimately silenced every doubt. She dominated in 2024, then did it again in 2025. It was a statement.
“I am so grateful to Caster and to my coach, Violet, who have encouraged and guided me,” she said. “Their belief in me kept me going.” Caster’s endorsement is equally direct: “She’s determined, disciplined, and takes instruction well. I think she will go very far.”
SPAR’s commitment runs deep. As SPAR National PR, Communications and Sponsorship Manager Mpudi Maubane has said: “We hope athletes encourage their friends to take part so that together we can empower women and help develop road running in South Africa.” That phrase — empower women — sits at the heart of everything the SPAR Women’s Challenge represents. And it is why Durban matters.
More Than a Race Series
The SPAR Grand Prix Series began in 2007, adding a competitive layer to what was already one of South Africa’s mostloved women’s events — one with roots in Durban stretching back to 1990. From that first field of a few thousand women to the tens of thousands who have since crossed the finish line, the Challenge has always been about more than running. For Glenrose, every starting line is another opportunity. For everyone else, it is a celebration, a community, a moment entirely their own.
Every Woman’s Finish Line
The #CelebrateHer theme that runs through the 2026 series is not simply a hashtag. It is a lens through which every finish line becomes significant. Glenrose embodies it — a woman whose favourite meal is oxtail and dumplings, whose coach’s mantra is “Train like a slave, compete easily,” and who is, above all else, deeply, recognisably human. Not a distant champion. Just a woman who shows up.
“The series has opened a lot of opportunities for us, women, in sports,” she says. “It also gives us motivation to perform.” The series has shaped her. And she, in turn, has shaped it.
Her advice to every woman on that start line: “Determination, dedication, perseverance — and never forget to believe in yourself.” When the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban gets underway, look for her at the front, defending the title she finally made her own in 2025. But also look around you — at the woman who signed up because a friend dared her, the one finishing her first 10km, the one who has done this for fifteen years and would not miss it. They are all part of the same story. SPAR has been enabling that story since 1990, and in 2026, Durban adds another chapter to it.
FIT FOR FUN… NOT FINISH TIMES
Redefining what it means to be an active woman in 2026
There is a quiet revolution happening on pavements, in community parks, and at the back of Challenge start pens across South Africa. Women are lacing up their trainers — not because they want to shave seconds off a personal best, but because moving feels good. Because it belongs to them.
Performance fitness has dominated the conversation for years — and it has made millions of women feel as though exercise is something you do to your body, not for it. That is changing. In 2026, the most radical thing a woman can do is move for joy.
What Joyful Movement Actually Looks Like
Joyful movement is simply the idea that physical activity should feel good and serve your actual life. For the thousands of women who enter the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban each year, it looks like a walk with a friend, a dance class on a Tuesday,
or a 5km on a sunny Durban morning with women who showed up for the experience, not the podium.
It looks like Zanele, 41, who walks the Challenge with her sister every year. “We talk the whole way. It’s our day.” It looks like Sue, 58, who says the crowd at Hollywoodbets Kings Park gives her something she cannot find anywhere else. “Everyone is cheering for everyone. There is no judgement. Just women, being brave together.”
Movement That Lasts
Research confirms that people who exercise for enjoyment are significantly more likely to maintain consistent physical activity over the long term.
Thirty minutes of brisk walking five times a week improves cardiovascular health, reduces anxiety, supports bone density, and boosts energy. You do not need to run to reap the rewards.
The Only Finish Line That Matters
The SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban is not asking you to be fast, slim, or trained. It is asking you to show up — and to feel, for at least a few glorious hours, that your movement belongs to you.
That is the revolution. Not a leaderboard. A woman, moving for the sheer joy of it, surrounded by a crowd doing exactly the same. #CelebrateHer.
Five ways to move more joyfully 01 02 03 04 05
Walk with someone you love — conversation makes kilometres disappear
Choose movement that makes you smile, not just sweat
Ditch the timer — let your body set the pace
Celebrate showing up — every single time
Let Challenge Day be your annual reminder that you are stronger than you think
BEHIND THE SCENES STRENGTH
GLS Supply Chain Equipment on female leadership, sustainable logistics, and showing up for the women who keep it all moving
Everygreat event runs on more than enthusiasm — it runs on infrastructure. At the SPAR Women’s Challenge Durban 2026, that infrastructure arrives in the form of a familiar, quietly essential partner; GLS Supply Chain Equipment.
Founded in 2007 by Robert and Dale Good, GLS has spent nearly two decades building smart, data-enabled supply chain solutions for some of South Africa’s biggest retailers — including SPAR. Their speciality? Moving products efficiently, reliably, and sustainably through complex retail environments. So when the goodie bags are handed to thousands of participants on Challenge Day at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, it is GLS’s purpose-built 68 litre tote bins doing the heavy lifting — quite literally.
What makes GLS more than a Supply Chain Equipment Management company is their ethos. At the heart of their offering is a hands-on, co-creative approach — building solutions tailored to each client’s operational reality, supported by G-Track software and a genuine commitment to measurable sustainability. It is a culture built on partnership, not product alone.
That same culture makes the
#CelebrateHer alignment feel entirely organic. “For GLS, #CelebrateHer isn’t about grand gestures — it’s about how we show up every day,” says Jacobs. Female leadership is embedded at every level of the business, from senior managers to those shaping strategy on the floor. “Women across our organisation are driving results and shaping our future — not despite the many roles they carry outside of work, but alongside them.”
Partnering with an event that has celebrated and uplifted women for over three decades is, for GLS, less a business decision than a values decision. A company that has watched women grow, lead, and thrive within its own walls for nearly 20 years recognises — without hesitation — a community worth celebrating.
On 28 June, when thousands of women cross the start line at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, the bins carrying their Challenge packs will be a small but meaningful symbol of what GLS believes; that when you support women, everyone moves forward.
