'I knew what I am capable of' - Xaba on verge of historic third Spar Grand Prix title After Tshwane Win

South Africa's road running champion, Glenrose Xaba continued her dominance in the Spar Women's Challenge. After emerging victorious in the Cape Town and Durban legs of the competition, Xaba won the Tshwane leg of the five race series, to make it three in a row and putting her on the verge of clinching the SPAR Grand Prix yet again after winning it last year.

The 30-year-old took the race in 32:39 followed by Ethiopians Diniya Abaraya and Selam Gebre in 32:41 and 33:17 respectively. She started the race conservatively, choosing to stick with the leading pack which included the Nedbank Running Club pair of Gebre and Abaraya as Irvette van Zyl led through the first kilometre.

Xaba wins the SPAR Women's Challenge in Tshwane, taking one step closer to defending the Grand Prix title she won last year. Photo Credit: Reg Caldecott / Gallo Images.

Xaba, Gebre, Abaraya and Kenya's Deborah Cherotich pulled away after the second kilometre, running together until just after the 7km mark where Cherotich fell behind as the the trio powered forward, as Xaba out-sprinted them during the final kilometre. The Boxer Athletic Club top runner didn't exhibit any exhaustion following her triumph at the Foskor F21 Half Marathon seven days earlier where she broke the course record which was held by former world record holder Elana Meyer to win the SA title. Xaba says although her legs felt a bit tight at the seventh kilometre, she knew she could pull through.

"My race went well," she told #TheTopRunner. "It went according to the strategy that my coach and I discussed before the race. It was challenging because last week I ran the SA 21km championships and it was a hilly course. Today I came to another hilly course. In the seventh kilometre I felt tightness in my legs but I kept focused because I knew what I am capable of," she explained.

Xaba leads the pack of four after halfway. Photo Credit: Reg Caldecott / Gallo Images.

The 2024 Grand Prix champion is on the verge of becoming the first black South African to win the main title three times after securing her first SPAR Grand Prix title in 2018. She says winning the title again will be a motivation to the upcoming generation of road runners.

"The Grand Prix is where I started my road running (career) and becoming the first black woman to win it three times will motivate the young kids that are coming after me and the young women that look up to me. Winning the series for the third time will not be about me. It will be about Karabo More and the other ones that also want to win it," she said.

With the first three SPAR Grand Prix races done, only two remain. The Gqeberha leg follows on 27 September with the Joburg race set for 5 October in Emmerentia.