GQEBERHA: Glenrose “Supercharger” Xaba was four seconds from history on a rain-soaked Saturday morning, but her commanding victory in the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge may have been worth far more than the stopwatch suggested.
The Boxer Athletics Club ace powered through overcast skies, humidity and persistent rain to win in 31:16, producing the third-fastest 10km time ever recorded by a South African woman and putting herself in position to chase an unprecedented fourth SPAR Grand Prix title.
The final chapter will be written in Johannesburg on Sunday, 4 October, where the City of Gold will decide the Grand Prix champion.
Xaba’s 31:16 was four seconds shy of her South African record of 31:12, set at the Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K on 7 July 2024, when she edged Elana Meyer’s 23-year-old national mark of 31:13 from the record books.
The stopwatch dangled history in front of her again in Gqeberha.
“I’m just happy and a little bit disappointed because I saw that I was not sure that I was in the SA record time when I was running,” Xaba said. “But when it was 50 metres to 100 metres, I saw that I was inside the record time, but when I crossed the finish line is where I got disappointed because I just missed it.”
There was little sympathy from the weather gods.
Yet Xaba described the course as “a bit challenging but very fast”, adding that she believed it could produce multiple records in future.
“I think it’s the route that can produce multiple records in future and if we can host the world champs, I don’t know when, road running, I think it will be the best route for us.”
Fresh from representing South Africa at the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen, Xaba had every reason to feel the weight in her legs. Instead, she attacked from the gun.
“I just did from gunpoint because I was chasing a bonus time so that I can have the good results and good points,” she said. “I only did two races. This one is a dead one, so I’m chasing the points. I’m glad that everything went according to the way I did in the race.”
Behind her, teammate Karabo More produced one of the day’s biggest breakthroughs, finishing second in 32:21, a 12-second personal best.
More deliberately stepped beyond her comfort zone.
“I think my plan was to come here and run a PB. I’ve always been scared to go in front and go with the girls. So today it was all about risking it and seeing how far I can go,” she said.
“And it worked to my advantage because I was able to fight from start to finish. So for today I’m sure and proud that I started something I was able to finish.”
More said the weather was manageable and revealed how she approached the closing kilometres.
“My coach once told me, with the 10 kilometres, the most important kilometres of the 10 kilometres are the last three. So you need to run smart and try and push to the end.”
At seven kilometres, those words became her fuel.
“I knew then that you just have to move, regardless of how you’re feeling, just try and finish, you’re almost there.”
More said her ambition was to learn from racing closer to athletes of Xaba’s calibre.
“At the end of the day you have to risk it and see where it’s going to take you,” she said. “Each and every kilometre was all about getting faster than the one I did.”
Ethiopian Selam Gebre of Nedbank completed the podium in 32:33, but the loudest statement belonged to Boxer AC.
For Xaba, however, the job remains unfinished.
She is chasing a fourth Grand Prix crown, but refused to assume history is already hers.
“I’m not sure yet that I’m going to win the Grand Prix,” she said. “But to make history, it will for me to be not my history alone. It will be the history of everyone that loved running.”
“It will be inspiration for the young ones and older ones that they look up to me.”
The City of Gold now holds the final piece of the puzzle.
Four seconds separated Xaba from another national record in Gqeberha. One final race separates her from a possible fourth SPAR Grand Prix crown.
The finish line in Johannesburg is already beckoning.
