Defending series champion Glenrose Xaba extended her lead in the 2025 Spar Grand Prix on Sunday, producing another dominant performance to win the second leg of the women's 10km road running campaign in Durban.
Xaba, representing Boxer Athletics Club, sat back for most of the first half, allowing Ethiopian athletes Diniya Abaraya and Selam Gebre (both in the colours of Nedbank Running Club) to control the pace. But by the time they hit the halfway mark in 16:04, the Boxer Athletics Club athlete oversaw proceedings.
She shook off her opponents in the small lead group shortly after the 6km point and tore clear to win comfortably in 31:54, running 14 seconds quicker in the second half of the race.
"Over the last two weeks, I was racing internationally, and I haven't had much time to recover, so I'm happy about the time I ran today," said Xaba, who set a 5 000m personal best of 15:10.62 on the track in Paris earlier this month.
"I'm just blessed to win today because it's the first time I've won the Durban leg of this series. I usually finish second or third, or further back in the top 10, so I'm very happy."
Abaraya, only 19 years old and in her first season as a senior athlete, finished second in 32:09, and while Gebre faded a bit in the closing stages of the race, she held on to grab third place in 32:25.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to race here. The weather conditions were wonderful, and we pushed one another. I'm happy with the result and I want to congratulate Glenrose on her achievement today," Abaraya said.
GEBRE WAS UNWELL
Gebre, who collapsed shortly after finishing, admitted she was not feeling well.
"I am feeling a bit under the weather. I had a severe headache, and I couldn't control it, so I had to push myself to see how far I could go, and finishing third is a bonus for me. I'm very happy with the result," said Gebre.
In a fast race, the top five women all dipped under 33 minutes, with Neheng Khatala of Lesotho taking fourth place in 32:31, while her Hollywood Athletics Club teammate Tayla Kavanagh was one second further back in fifth spot, crossing the finish line in 32:32.
The Spar Women’s Challenge Durban had sold out 12 000 participants.