"It is important to support young girls in sport" - Blanche Moila weighs in on her 100 SPAR races & SA women's road running

Road running legend Blanche Moila says the middle and long distance running in South

Africa is healthy. The first black woman to receive Springbok colours for cross country believes that the event is growing in the country and more young women and girls should be encouraged to take part.

Over the recent years a number of women, such as Glenrose Xaba, Tayla Kavanagh

and Karabo More, have been making a mark in the event. Moila has stressed the

importance of encouraging young girls to take up running.

Moila was honoured at the SPAR Women's Challenge Tshwane on 1 August. Moila received a gift from SPAR North rand Marketing Director Justin Julius on the occasion of her 100th SPAR Women's Challenge race. Photo Credit: Supplied.

“We are privileged to have Cian (Oldknow-Gerber), Glenrose and Kyla (Jacobs). Our

middle distance (running) is growing in South Africa and we need to encourage girls to

take part in sports. It is important for young girls getting into the sport of running to have

a great support system, from the parents, or the community," she told #TheTopRunner.

"We appreciate that because we live in difficult times and the girl child is not always supported as they need to be. I am talking from experience. When I was at school, the girl child was not supported to excel in sports. It was by mere chance that I got into sports. Right now we try and encourage girls to take part,” says Moila.

Moila competing in the SPAR Women's Challenge. Photo Credit: Cuan Walker.

Moila recently joined the illustrious list of runners including the likes of Sonja Laxton and Grace de Oliviera to have run the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge a 100 times. The 69-year-old is only the fifth person to have completed the 36-year-old race that takes place in several cities around the country, including Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. She has previously held a number of national titles and records over various distances in the past. The former nurse says she is privileged to join the elite list.

“It is such an honour to reach this milestone. I am walking in the steps of legends that

came before me, the footsteps of legends Sonja Laxton, Grace de Oliviera, Janene

Carey and Rene Thomas. Spar is such a special series and I did try to run as many as

possible obviously when the pocket can support me. I am privileged to be in a group of

ladies that have done so many (races),” she says.

Although Moila is now enjoying her golden years, she is not yet thinking of hanging her

running shoes.

“Balance in life is so important and I have always said that age has no penalty. We live

in the present and if you are passionate about your sport do the best you can,” she

adds.