Glenrose Xaba aiming for a record-breaking performance at Absa Run Your City Durban 10K

Glenrose Xaba will be hoping to continue her remarkable form over 10km so far this year when the distance runner lines up for the Absa Run Your City Durban 10K on Sunday.

The notoriously fast, flat route offers the potential for the star of the track and road to dip under 32 minutes for the third time this year.

Xaba will be aiming for her fastest time of the season, and is confident of beating her national 10km record.

The Boxer Athletics Club runner stormed home in a time of 31:12 at the Absa Run Your City Durban 10K last year to take overall fourth place and better Elana Meyer’s 23-year-old national mark.

“Yes. That’s the plan,” was her response to questions about the possibility of setting a new SA record. “I want to write my own history.”

Xaba’s performance in the recent SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge in Durban will only add to her belief that she can once again raise the bar.

She crossed the finish line in a time of 31:54 despite breezy conditions in Durban on June 22. She made light work of the challenge of the Ethiopian duo of Diniya Abaraya and Selam Gebre on that occasion.

“Consistency, determination and discipline are key,” Xaba explained when asked how she keeps on churning out world-class times despite a busy season.

“The body is feeling okay since I prepared it from the beginning of the season because I knew that it would have a lot of races.”

Should conditions allow, there is every chance the 30-year-old runner, who is coached by 800m legend Caster Semenya, could shatter her previous best time.

On Sunday, Xaba will have to contend with the challenge of another Ethiopian, Debash Desta, as well as that of former champion Jesca Chelangat of Kenya. And the win is by no means guaranteed.

Desta holds a 30:58 personal best and ran 31:00 to claim second place at the same event last year, behind eventual winner Christine Nalimo Njoki of Kenya (30:37). The men’s race was won by SA’s Elroy Gelant.

Desta is determined to give a good account of herself come Sunday.

“The season is going well. I’m moving towards more half marathons but I always enjoy the 10km races,” said Desta.

“My preparations went well and I worked very hard in training because I know it will be a fast race because conditions in Durban are always good and it is a beautiful course.

“The aim is to always finish on the podium, and I will be happy if I can get a new PB.”

Sunday’s race presents the versatile Xaba, who won national titles over 5 000m and 10 000m on the track, with the opportunity to collect valuable ranking points as she tries to qualify for the two events at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.