GQEBERHA, SOUTH AFRICA: Glenrose Xaba’s bid for a historic, unprecedented fourth SPAR Grand Prix title enters a critical phase on Saturday when the five-race series rolls into Gqeberha, where a new route could add another twist to an increasingly tight championship battle.
The 31-year-old Boxer Athletics Club star shares the record of three Grand Prix titles with fellow South Africans Rene Kalmer and Irvette van Zyl, as well as Ethiopia’s Tadu Nare. Victory in this year’s series would put Xaba alone at the top of the honour roll.
SPAR Grand Prix technical consultant Brad Glasspoole says the revised Gqeberha course should produce a faster, cleaner race.
“The new Gqeberha route starts at Pollok Beach and avoids the city centre. This reduces traffic, turns and twists,” said Glasspoole.
“There is a 550m climb on 10th Avenue, followed by a 450m descent. The final 2.5km is flat and fast.”
That closing stretch could turn the race into a 10km drag race, with every second and every point potentially carrying championship weight.
Around 6,000 runners are expected, with wet and windy conditions forecast. The SPAR Women’s Challenge is the penultimate leg of the series, with the overall title and podium places still up for grabs.
“This is a new rule we introduced this year to make the series more competitive. With Johannesburg as the final leg after Gqeberha, Saturday’s points could be decisive,” Glasspoole said.
Athletes must complete at least three races to qualify for the Grand Prix title.
Cacisile Sosibo, Xaba’s Boxer teammate, currently leads the standings on 80 points, with Hollywood Athletics Club’s Tayla Kavanagh on 60 and Xaba in third.
Kavanagh will miss Gqeberha after remaining in Europe following the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, where she shattered Elana Meyer’s South African 5km record with a 14:51.
Her absence opens the door for the chasing pack, including fourth-placed Ethiopian Selam Gebre of Nedbank.
Xaba arrives with formidable form. She finished 13th in the Copenhagen half marathon in 1:07:49, the second-fastest 21km time of her career.
Sosibo, who was 70th in 1:14:00, will seek to strengthen her lead.
Karabo Mailula, sixth overall, returned from Copenhagen on Wednesday and finished fifth in Thursday’s Absa RUN YOUR CITY Joburg 10K in 34:44. Van Zyl was eighth in 34:51 and will target valuable points from 10th overall.
Neheng Khatala and Cian Gerber (Oldknow) are among the Hollywood runners expected to chase the leaders, while seventh-placed Karabo More will also look to climb the standings after her World Championship appearance.
Xaba, Mailula, Sosibo and More are coached by former Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya and her wife Violet Semenya.
The elite 10km series visits Cape Town, Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha and Johannesburg, with R1,967,500 in total prize money. Each leg also features a South African competition, with up to R212,000 available depending on the host city and categories.
Gqeberha therefore arrives as more than another stop on the road. For Xaba, the road to history may be measured in kilometres, seconds and precious championship points.
Photo Credits: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
