Johannesburg — Another race, another personal best for is on the cards for Glenrose Xaba. The Boxer Athletic Club athlete is Super-Charged, as per her nickname, and just can’t seem to stop running faster.
Ahead of Sunday’s Absa RUN YOUR CITY Durban 10k, Xaba expectations are that Xaba will once again improve her 10km time in the women’s only elite race in which Ethiopian dsfafsdfasdfsdfsdf will be going for a world record.
Xaba has improved her 10km time twice already this year – running a 32:12 in the Gqeberha leg of the SPAR Grand Prix Series before becoming the third fastest South African female in the distance with a 31:56in Durban last month. Only national record holder Elana Meyer, with her 31:13, and Colleen de Reuck have competed the distance in a faster time. And Xaba has openly disclosed that she has her sights set on breaking Meyer’s 22-year-old record.
In between those races, the highly-decorated run who has held national titles on the track and in cross-country won the national half marathon championship title for the umpteenth time in Gqeberha.
She is chomping at the bit now, keen to take advantage of the great vein of form she is enjoying and improve on her 10km time again.
“My goal is to get another PB and if my body responds as well as it has been doing in the recent races then I can run fast,” the soft-spoken athlete, who is trained by Caster Semenya’s partner Violet, said on Thursday from Pretoria prior to flying to Durban.
“If you want to run a fast time, you have to challenge the Ethiopians. I am not going to focus on running with those who are going for the world record. I am just going to try and run a PB.”
That she is having the great season she is — having been the best performing South African in all the three Spar Grand Prix races already ran so far — Xaba says, is because everything is going well in training.
“My body is responding very well to training. I can tell during training that I’ve got something very special and that comes from following what the coach is saying.”
She also enjoys running on the coast: “Durban and Gqeberha are always good for me. Maybe the areas just favour me, they agree with me because I always run good times there. I don’t know,” she chuckles.
That chuckle will probably be convert3ed into a shout of delight should she ran yet another PB, let alone broke Meyer’s record on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Xaba’s teammates at Boxer, Precious Mashele and Stephen Mokoka are expected to contribute to a scintillating pace in the men’s race on Sunday.
The duo are looking to run a sub 28 race and given their showing at the recent ASA National Half Marathon Championships in Gqeberha there is every good reason to expect them to do just that.
“The calibre of talent participating at this year’s Absa RUN YOUR CITY DURBAN 10K is awe-inspiring, setting the stage for a thrilling display of athletic prowess,” said Michael Meyer, Managing Director of Stillwater Sports and Founder of the Absa RUN YOUR CITY series.
“As the competition heats up, you can almost feel the anticipation surrounding the possibility of witnessing a world record being shattered. It's a testament to the relentless spirit and unwavering dedication of these incredible athletes. We look forward to witnessing an exhilarating showcase of speed, endurance, determination and ultimately history in the making.”
IOL Sport