'I still have more goals' - Xaba supercharges to historical SPAR Grand Prix finish in Jozi & announces plans to race Valencia Marathon

Glenrose Xaba wrapped up the Spar Grand Prix series with an impressive run to win

the Joburg leg of the Spar Women's Challenge. Supercharge won the race in 33:07

to defend the Grand Prix title she secured last year and become the first South African to win two Grand Prix crowns since international athletes were allowed to compete in the race in 2019.

Xaba also became the first South African to win all the five races to complete the series from Cape Town, Gqeberha, Durban, Tshwane and Joburg. She bagged a total R200 000 for the Grand Prix as well as a car sponsored by Hyundai. Olympian Rene Kalmer is the only other South African who came close to achieving this feat but an Achillies injury prevented her from running the last race in 2012.

Xaba underlined her 10km dominance this season by winning all five SPAR Grand Prix Series races, which ended at the SPAR Women's Challenge in Jozi on 5 October. Photo Credit: Reg Caldecott / Gallo Images.

"It was not easy winning five races out of five. It was difficult because you need to stay focused and you need to have a strategy when it comes to the races. You need to know your goal and stick to your plan because once you set the goal (and announce it) everyone will want to come for you and the goal you said you want to achieve," she said at this morning's post-race press conference in Marks Park Emmerentia.

"It was challenging but I am happy that we had a good competition between me, Selam (Gebre), Diniya (Abaraya) and last week we had Tayla (Kavanagh) as well to give us a challenge. I know it is not easy breaking the Ethiopians but if you give them a challenge you can. It is good to have a challenge so that you can up your game and go strength to strength with the performance," added the 30-year-old.

Xaba, Abaraya and van Zyl took the top three positions at the SPAR Women's Challenge Jozi. Xaba won the overall Grand Prix Series title, while Abaray finishes in second place on the total points tally at the end of the 2025 SPAR Grand Prix season. Photo Credit: SPAR Women's Challenge Jozi.

Ethiopia's Abaraya and Irvette van Zyl finished in second and third respectively in 33:42 and 34:35. Van Zyl, who missed the Gqeberha leg of the race, says she is happy to have been able to finish the race after a bout of sickness.

"It was touch and go yesterday, I was sick last week, so I did not have any expectations today. I just wanted to run and do the best that I can. I am really chuffed with how I ended up," she says.

Xaba will now be shifting her focus to the Lisbon Half Marathon as well as the Valencia Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich set for 7 December. "I can rate my 2025 performance as eight out of 10 because I have not yet finished my season. I still have more goals that I need to get. My goal is to run very fast at the half marathon and achieve the national record in the 42km. My aim is to run under 2:20," she says.