'I didn't expect to be close to the SA record' - Xaba snatches victory in Gqeberha to inch closer to SPAR GRAND PRIX title

In what has become the norm this year, South African road running sensation Glenrose Xaba put delivered a scintillating performance, clocking 31:22 to win the Gqeberha leg of the SPAR GRAND PRIX 10km women's race on Saturday (21 September, 2024) morning. SuperCharger was followed home by the Ethiopian pair of Diniya Abaraya in 31:33 and Tadu Nare, who claimed third position in 31:48 just seven days after winning the Mpumalanga Marathon. To win the race, Xaba ran the second fastest time of her 10km career - just 10 seconds shy of the 31:12 national record she set at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K in July.

"Today I had a good run straight from the gun. From the start, I had planned to run under 32 minutes. I was planning to run 31 minutes. I'm very happy about the weather conditions because it allowed us to run a very good time," said an elated Xaba who is coached by Caster Semenya and her partner Ledile Raseboya.

"We pushed with Tadu and Diniya from the start, till we broke away from Tadu just after the 5km mark. Then I knew that we were going with the 3:10 pace and I'm used to the pace as I have applied it in training. I then decided to continue to maintain it and see what will happen in the end. I didn't expect that I would be close to the SA record but fortunately I was. Overall, I'm very happy with the good run of today," she told #TheTopRunner.

The 29-year-old dipped under 32 minutes for the third time this year to underscore her excellent 2024 form. Xaba, who has won three Spar Women's 10km races this year including the Cape Town and Pretoria legs, has now edged closer to become the first South African athlete to clinch the overall SPAR Grand Prix title since 2018, when she last won it.

Following the announcement that the Boxer Athletic Club top runner will debut over the marathon distance at next month's Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, a lot has been said about her gunning for the SA women's marathon record of 2:24:03 set by Gerda Steyn at the 2023 Valencia Marathon. Lining up alongside the likes of Cian Oldknow who is the country's fastest women over the 42km this year (2:25:08 run at the Sevilla Marathon), Xaba says that she is focusing on herself and her goal is simply to enjoy the distance.

"The long runs are going very well. The program is good and I've been able to adjust to it. I know its big step for me but I'm very excited to try something new and see what the future holds. I'm going there to have fun and enjoy the race.The national record is not my focus but if it comes I would be happy. My focus is to do marathon and see what time I can achieve. I know I'm strong in marathons but I need to focus on 10km and 21km."