Glenrose Xaba targets Elana Meyer’s long-standing 10km record

Glenrose Xaba, after finishing third in the Durban Spar 10km Grand Prix Race at Kings Park on Sunday morning, said her target remains Elana Meyer’s South African record. 

Xaba finished in 31 min 55 sec, behind Ethiopians Tadu Nare (31.26) and Selam Gebre (31.37), the South African coming within 42 seconds of Meyer’s record that has stood for 22 years.

Meyer’s mark of 31:13 was set in 2001 when she finished second after Kenyan runner Catherine Ndereba in the Avon Global Women's Final in Budapest. 

“My wish is to have one of the records that was set by Elena Meyer and hopefully I will get it,” Xaba said after the race. 

Xaba ran a third personal best in succession, the third fastest South African 10km time during Sunday’s race. 

The runner, coached by Violet and Caster Semeya, said she was happy to achieve another personal best. 

“I am happy about the race but at the beginning I was not feeling well because my body was not responding the way I wanted.

“But I am happy to have been able to run a good time and produce a huge personal best,” said Xaba, adding that her other target this year is the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary later in the year. 

“I am happy with the work that I have done with my coach behind the scenes. We do the most with recovery work.

“I am happy to have a good support structure. The strategy is to improve my times and do well in the World Champs.

“This year I also want to stay consistent and winning a race during the Spar Grand Prix series will come.” 

The Ethiopians continued to dominate the series and Nare urged South Africans to keep working hard to break their hegemony. 

“You have nice stadiums and better facilities, we don’t even have places to train in Ethiopia,” Nare said.

“South African athletes have to work harder to run faster times. We don’t train at facilities like they have here in South Africa but we work very hard with what we have.” 

The other highlight of the Durban race came from Lesotho national Blandina Makatasi, who finished fourth in 32:18, while Kesa Molotsane completed the top five in 33:42. 

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