South African 10km record holder Glenrose Xaba believes the fastest women’s field ever assembled on African soil could provide the perfect stage for a national breakthrough at the Absa Run Your City Gqeberha 10K next Sunday, 1 March.
The Boxer Athletics Club star heads into the opening leg of the 2026 Absa Run Your City Series with renewed energy after a demanding stretch that included her second career marathon in December and national colours at the World Cross Country Championships in the US in January.
While 2025 delivered three podium finishes in the series – including two victories – it also required careful management at the start of this year.
“The body is feeling good,” Xaba said this week. “After the World Cross Country Championships, the focus was on proper recovery, easy mileage, strength work, and physio before building up intensity again. Training has been consistent and I feel stronger and fresher each week, which is a good sign heading into the next races.”
That freshness will be tested immediately in Nelson Mandela Bay, where the women’s race is shaping up as one of the deepest ever staged on the continent. Among the international entries are Kenyan sub-30-minute performer Brenda Jepchirchir and compatriot Faith Cherono – athletes accustomed to setting fast, uncompromising tempos from the gun.
For Xaba, who holds the South African 10km record of 31:12, the presence of genuine sub-30 pedigree is not a threat, but an opportunity.
“Being part of such a strong field is exciting and motivating,” she said. “When you line up against fast Kenyan athletes and other top runners, it pushes you to perform at your best. I see it as an opportunity to challenge myself.”
The 29-year-old knows the Gqeberha course well. She finished third there last year in 31:50, but Sunday’s conditions and competition could make a significantly quicker time possible. With the national mark already hers, attention is turning to another barrier: the elusive sub-31-minute time that no South African woman has yet achieved over 10km on the road.
If the early pace is honest – and the East Africans usually ensure it is – Xaba could find herself pulled into uncharted territory.
“I have great memories from racing in Gqeberha last year and finishing on the podium,” she said. “This time I want to improve on that performance. My target is to run a personal best and compete for the top positions again. If I execute my race plan well, I believe a strong result is possible.”
The domestic subplot adds further intrigue. National 10km champion Tayla Kavanagh is also entered and will be eager to assert herself against a compatriot who has set the benchmark in South African women’s road running in recent seasons.
For Xaba, however, the broader picture is clear. The first race of the five-leg series is less about rivalry and more about raising the ceiling of what is possible. She already holds the national record; next Sunday, history – and perhaps a sub-31-minute breakthrough – could be within reach.
