Glenrose Xaba made history in Johannesburg by securing her fourth SPAR Grand Prix title, while thousands of women ran in celebration, solidarity and strength together Sunday.
The defending champion produced a dominant performance at the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park Sports Club, winning in 32:26 and becoming the first athlete to claim the SPAR Grand Prix title four times.
Xaba, representing Boxer, moved to the front early and was never seriously challenged. Teammate Karabo More finished second in 33:36, while Ethiopian runner Selam Gebre of Nedbank took third place in 33:52.
Waiting at the finish line was Xaba’s 89-year-old grandmother, Elizabeth Xaba, who has played an important role in her life. It was the first time she had watched her granddaughter win a race.
“I am so happy to be the first person to win the SPAR Grand Prix four times,” Xaba said.
The achievement follows a season that did not begin according to plan. Xaba lost to Tayla Kavanagh of Hollywood Athletics Club in Cape Town but said she was able to recover from the disappointment and rebuild her campaign.
“My year didn’t start well, when I lost to Tayla Kavanagh in Cape Town, and I had to pick myself up from that disappointment,” she said. “But things got better after that and I am very proud of my achievement.”
Xaba now plans to shift more of her attention towards marathon running in 2027, with qualification for international marathon competition among her ambitions. She will continue racing half marathons during the remainder of this year, including an event in Hong Kong.
Her victory came on the same day it was revealed that Kavanagh had broken Xaba’s South African 10km record, running 30:50 in Brasov, Romania.
Rather than expressing disappointment at losing the record, Xaba welcomed the performance.
“Records are meant to be broken,” she said, adding that she hoped the two athletes could race one another again and potentially push towards breaking the 30-minute barrier.
More’s second-place finish in Johannesburg continued her strong end to the series after she also finished second at the SPAR Grand Prix race in Gqeberha the previous weekend.
The Johannesburg event attracted a sellout field of 15,130 women and also carried a wider message about the safety of women in South Africa.
Before the race, Gerda Steyn led participants in a moment of silence in honour of victims of gender-based violence, with particular remembrance for 38-year-old runner Elizabeth Moselakgomo, who was murdered while on a training run.
Moselakgomo had participated in the Jozi SPAR Challenge the previous year. Elite athletes wore black armbands in her honour.
Steyn, a multiple Two Oceans and Comrades Marathon champion, said she thought about Moselakgomo while running and hoped her daughter would know how many people had remembered her during the event.
SPAR South Rand Human Resources Director Noni Xaba said the organisation remains committed to supporting initiatives addressing gender-based violence and period poverty, while using its involvement in women’s sport to create opportunities and safer spaces for girls and women.
“We support women in any way possible and our sponsorships, such as netball and road running, are aimed at helping girls and women to stay safe,” she said.
Irvette van Zyl, a three-time SPAR Grand Prix winner, finished fifth in 34:42, while Steyn placed seventh in 35:23.
For Glenrose Xaba, however, the Johannesburg race marked another significant milestone in an already distinguished career.
Four SPAR Grand Prix titles now place her alone in the history of the competition, while her response to losing the national record also points towards a growing depth in South African women’s distance running.
With Xaba looking towards the marathon and athletes including Kavanagh and More continuing to push performances forward, the competition among South Africa’s leading women runners is creating new benchmarks for the next generation.
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