Glenrose Xaba once again showed her class when she blazed through the Jozi SPAR Women’s 10 km Challenge winning her fifth consecutive race in the highly popular sold-out event across the country.
After winning the Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Gqeberha legs of the 2025 Spar Grand Prix Series, Glenrose stormed across the finish line at Marks Park Sports Club on Sunday morning in Emmarentia over a toughy hilly course. She blitzed the route in 33:07 to leave her rivals trailing in her wake.
Ethiopian Diniya Abaraya (Nedbank) clocked 33:42 for second, while Irvette van Zyl (Hollywood) claimed third in 34:35.
The evergreen Van Zyl,38, came out of the blocks like a bullet, setting the early tone before easing off and letting the race settle. That’s when Xaba hit her stride.
She went shoulder-to-shoulder with Abaraya and her compatriot Selam Gebre, until the six-kilometre mark, when she broke free like a sprinter pulling clear on the final bend.
Glenrose Xaba and Irvette van Zyl surrounded by a trio of Ethiopian athletes. Photo: Greg Caldecott
“Irvette got us to a very fast start, and I am grateful for that. Then Selam and Diniya forced the pace until about four kilometres,” said Glenrose.
“From six kilometres, I just focused on my splits and on my own running,” she said.
“I am very happy to be the first South African to win all five SPAR Grand Prix races this year, and to have won the SPAR Grand Prix for the third time.”
Five SPAR victories in one season, three Grand Prix titles overall, was a clear reminder that Glenrose Xaba is setting the benchmark for women’s road running in South Africa.
Abaraya, showing strong form after a year of consistent improvement, admitted the Jozi route was no walk in the park.
“I had a good race today, although I found the hills very challenging,” she said.
Van Zyl, meanwhile, was thrilled to be back in the mix. Her trademark grit shone through even after a shaky buildup.
“I went into the race with no expectations. I felt horrible yesterday and even wondered if I would be able to run. I just wanted to do my best.”
A veteran of the series and a three-time Grand Prix champion herself, Van Zyl credited Xaba for elevating the competition.
“Glenrose has given everyone the belief that they can do better, and I think the international athletes will soon struggle to win the SPAR Grand Prix again,” said Van Zyl.
Further back in the field,Gerda Steyn, South Africa’s ultra marathon marvel, treated the 10km as a tune-up for the upcomingSanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday, 19 October. Despite experiencing an injury setback that threatened her participation in the race, she still pitched up to finish in 11th position.
“I love the vibe and the experience of running in a women’s only race. I find lining up with thousands of other women inspirational.”
Gerda Steyn at the finish of the Spar Jozi 10k Photo: Adnaan Mohamed
That energy was everywhere with 12,000 women pounding the pavement in the 10km Challenge and 5km Fun Run, turning the streets into a celebration of strength and solidarity.
Among those cheering was Deputy Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Peace Mabe, who praised SPAR for championing women’s sport and social causes.
JOHANNESURG, SOUTH AFRICA – OCTOBER 05: during the 2025 SPAR Womens Grand Prix 10km Challenge and 5km Fun Run at Marks Park Sports Club on October 05, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Reg Caldecott/Gallo Images)
“It’s only through sponsorship that women’s sports will flourish,” she said.
“I would like to congratulate SPAR for their support for women’s road running and netball, but also for their campaigns to end gender-based violence and period poverty.”
Gqeberha, Eastern Cape – Glenrose Xaba once again turned the SPAR Women’s Challenge into her personal racetrack on Saturday morning, streaking down Marine Drive like a sprinter on rails to seize her fourth straight victory of the 2025 Grand Prix Series and, with it, another chapter of history.
The Boxer Athletic Club dynamo, nicknamed “SuperCharger” for the way she ignites races with a sudden burst of speed stopped the clock at a searing 31:57, her white cap bobbing like a beacon at the head of the pack as she tore through the Windy City air.
She sliced the tape ahead of Hollywood Athletics Club’s Tayla Kavanagh (32:01), while Ethiopia’s Diniya Abaraya (32:04) , clad in Nedbank green, clung on for third.
GQEBERHA, SOUTH AFRICA – SEPTEMBER 27: Glenrose Xaba (L) , Diniya Abaraya and Tayla Kavanagh of Hollywood (R) during the 2025 SPAR Women’s Grand Prix 10km Challenge at Pollok Beach in Gqeberha. Photo: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images)
Glenrose has now sprinted into an unassailable 115-point lead with one race to spare, making next weekend’s Johannesburg leg little more than a victory lap.
She becomes the first black South African athlete to win the SPAR Grand Prix three times, adding her name once more to a glittering roll call that includes Rene Kalmer, Irvette van Zyl, Namibia’s Helalia Johannes and Ethiopia’s Tadu Nare.
On a crisp morning made for fast times, Glenrose toed the line looking refreshed, having chosen to sidestep Wednesday’s Absa RUN YOUR CITY Joburg 10K. When the gun fired, she immediately leaned into the race like a runner unwilling to wait for destiny.
Her usual rival Selam Gebre tried to shadow her stride for stride, joined by Abaraya, and for a while the trio ran in formation, as though the podium had already been sketched in pencil.
But Gebre, her legs heavy from a fourth-place finish at the Buenos Aires Marathon earlier this month, faltered once Glenrose pressed the accelerator.
Resplendent in her trademark white cap, Glenrose’s surge was as decisive as it was devastating down the home straight.
The contest for gold was over; the race had become a chase for silver. Kavanagh, digging into her reserves with the grit of a runner who refused to fade, clawed her way past Abaraya to snatch second.
For Glenrose, the victory was all the sweeter because she had not felt at her sharpest.
“I was not 100 percent. My body was not responding well,” she admitted afterwards.
“The course was very fast. Last year I ran a course record. Today I did 31 high because my body was not responding well. I tried my best to push my pace, but I could not push much.
“But I told myself, ‘Let me keep the pace’ and then in the last three kilometres I said, ‘let me give myself a push’.”
And push she did, storming home to the delight of the Gqeberha crowd and swelling her bank balance with a R200 000 payday for clinching the overall Grand Prix prize.
The race itself was a sell-out, with 5 000 runners filling the streets in a celebration of women’s running.
For one lucky participant, it was about more than medals and times: Nomandla Lunguza of Kariega, Uitenhage walked away with a Hyundai EXTER, the fifth vehicle SPAR and Hyundai have given away this season.
“At Hyundai Automotive South Africa, we believe excellence comes in many forms. Whether you are leading the race or simply showing and giving it your all. That is why we are proud to be part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge, where every woman out there is a winner in her own right,” said Stanley Anderson, CEO of Hyundai Automotive South Africa.
“Accordingly, the SPAR Women’s Challenge alignment with the Hyundai EXTER is aimed at highlighting this vehicle’s strength. It is built to handle life’s daily demands with ease and flair. Just like the event itself, the Hyundai EXTER is as versatile and vibrant as the women who inspire us every day.”
For Glenrose Xaba, though, the car on Saturday was running on her own high-octane, Supercharged engine.
And with one more race to go, she has already driven her way into history.
Hyundai Exter winner, Nomandla Lunguza, with Clinton Bezuidenhout, Dealer Principal at Hyundai Gqeberha. Photo: Michael Sheehan / Gallo Images
The final leg of the SPAR Grand Prix will take place on Sunday morning, 05 October 2025 at Marks Park Sporting Club in Emmerentia, Johannesburg.
Glenrose Xaba clinched the 2024 SPAR Grand Prix series title on 6 October with an emphatic win in the Johannesburg SPAR 10km Women’s Challenge, giving her a fourth SPAR Women’s Challenge series win this year
