Defending champion Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) could clinch her fourth SPAR Grand Prix title if she wins the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge at Marks Park on Sunday morning.
The Jozi race is the final leg of the 2026 SPAR Grand Prix series, with as many as four athletes still in contention for the overall Grand Prix title, depending on their results on Sunday.
Xaba is in scintillating form, as she showed last weekend when she won the Gqeberha SPAR Women’s Challenge in 31:17 minutes – the second fastest 10km of her career.
Although Xaba is generally expected to win on Sunday, she will have stiff competition from Boxer teammates Cacisile Sosibo, Karabo More and Karabo Mailula. The Ethiopian Nedbank runner Selam Gebre is also likely to try to chase her down. Another Ethiopian, junior athlete Dirbe Dogne, will be making her SPAR Women’s Challenge debut on Sunday.
South Africa’s golden girl of ultra marathons, Gerda Steyn (Hollywood Running Club) will be taking part in the race, and although she is better known for her multiple victories in the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons, she always puts up a strong showing in the Jozi SPAR Challenge.
Tayla Kavanagh (Hollywood), who won the first two races this year, in Cape Town and in Durban, has opted to compete on the European circuit after finishing fourth in the 5km event at the recent world road running championships in Copenhagen and will not be running on Sunday.
MOSTLY FLAT WITH A FEW STEADY CLIMBS
The route for Sunday’s 10km race is a single lap course that starts and finishes at Marks Park. The athletes run through some of Johannesburg’s leafy suburbs like Emmarentia, Greenside, Linden and Parkview.
The course is mainly flat to undulating, with several steady climbs balanced by long, fast straights that lend themselves to strong pacing. The runners also pass prominent landmarks such as the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens, Jan van Riebeeck Park and the Melville Koppies, ensuring a scenic yet technically demanding race environment.
Although Xaba is hoping to make history by becoming the first person to win the SPAR Grand Prix four times, she will be strongly challenged Cacisile Sosibo , who currently tops the leaderboard with 99 points. Xaba is in second place, with 89 and Gebre is in third place with 86.
The SPAR Grand Prix comprises five races, but only the best four races are counted for the final positions, meaning athletes are able to skip a race and still be in contention. Xaba missed the Durban race because she was representing South Africa in the United States at the time.
Race Director Brad Glasspoole says the format of the Grand Prix means that defending champion Xaba can defend her title on Sunday but four other athletes, including top of the leaderboard Sosibo as well as Salem Gebre, Karabo More and Karabo Mailula, through an excellent finish on Sunday will end in the SPAR Grand Prix top three or even lift the title.
Sosibo’s position is proof of the value of consistency in the SPAR Grand Prix. Although she has had no podium finishes, she has consistently finished in the top 10 in each race so far, with maximum bonus points in three races and five bonus points in Gqeberha.
MOMENT OF SILENCE
Steyn, who is very supportive of SPAR’s End Gender Based Violence (GBV) campaign, will lead a moment’s silence before the start of the SPAR 10km Challenge and the 5km Fun Run, in recognition of the victims of GBV and femicide..
“Something must be done about the horrific levels of GBV in South Africa,” she said.
“These have been highlighted by the spate of killings in Ekurhuleni. Women should be able to go about their daily lives without fear and if they want to run, they should be free to do so without wondering whether they will get home safely,” said Steyn.”
SPAR National PR, Communications and Sponsorship Manager Mpudi Maubane says SPAR remains unwavering in its commitment to creating a safer South Africa for women and girls.
“On Sunday, we will #CelebrateHer by honouring and remembering the countless women and girls who have lost their lives to gender-based violence. We will stand together, raise our voices, and send a clear and united message enough is enough.
“Every woman and girl deserves to live free from fear, violence, and abuse. Through our continued commitment, SPAR will keep using its voice and its platform to drive awareness, inspire action and help build a safer, more respectful South Africa for generations to come.”
The SPAR Women’s Challenge Jozi will have a sold-out 15 000 women taking part.