After taking its first tentative steps two years ago, the SPAR Little Ladies Race has become an essential part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge family in Port Elizabeth.

Held annually on May 1, the “little sister” race caters for girls younger than nine years and serves as a curtain raiser to the main event, which this year takes place on Saturday, May 9, at Pollok Beach.

According to SPAR Eastern Cape marketing manager Abri Swart, the event is unique to the province, as none of the four other regional races offered something similar.

Swart said the 2.5km challenge was introduced so that little ones could also participate and experience some of the fun of the 5km and 10km feature events.

“It has given little ladies an opportunity to participate in an event that promotes healthy living and an active lifestyle from a young age.”

While the race was not widely publicised, he said it had proved immensely popular since its introduction.

“This event has never been advertised, it has only been through word of mouth that we have received hundreds of entries and continue to do so year after year.

“It’s amazing to see how competitive the little ones are. They are so enthusiastic and really look forward to a fun day out.”

Swart said it provided a perfect mother-daughter bonding opportunity, as moms could run alongside their children and keep an eye on them.

He said organisers were confident that the event would not only continue to grow but also extend the retailer’s outreach function.

“We trust that the Little Ladies Race will grow every year and that we will be able to give back to organisations within our community that are involved with assisting children in need.”

This year the Little Ladies Race will have its own charitable beneficiary, Cupcakes of Hope, which aims to raise awareness and funds for the early detection of childhood cancers.

For more information find SPAR Women’s Challenge Port Elizabeth on Facebook or follow @sparchallengepe and @spar_ec. Alternatively, stay tuned to Algoa FM for updates.

Enter online at www.spar.co.za or collect a form from any SUPERSPAR, SPAR or KWIKSPAR store.

Entries for the SPAR Little Ladies Race close on April 29.

Hundreds of girls set off from Pollok Beach on the Port Elizabeth beachfront during last year’s SPAR Little Ladies Race. Photo: Full Stop Communications