4 days ago
Glenrose Xaba gunning for whopping sixth national half-marathon title in a row
Glenrose Xaba finished fifth at the Absa Run Your City Durban 10K on July 13 in a time of 31:50.
Glenrose Xaba will chase her sixth national half-marathon title in a row for Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) as part of a star-studded field at the ASA Road Running Championships in Namakgale, Phalaborwa, on Saturday.
Men's defending champion Elroy Gelant will also be among the pre-race favourites in the half-marathon that is incorporated into the F21 Half-Marathon.
Xaba was the first South African home over the 21.1km distance at last year's national championships in Gqeberha, finishing fourth overall in 1:13:42. Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) athlete Cacisile Sosibo was fifth, in a time of 1:13:51. She is likely to once again be Xaba's strongest challenger.
Gelant, who overcame tough conditions to win the SA men's title in Gqeberha last year, will be joined in the line-up by Athletics Central North West (ACNW) teammate Thabang Mosiako, also a former national champion.
They are up against a field that also includes in-form athlete Bennet Seloyi, representing Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA).
Xaba holds the national marathon and 10km records on the road, as well as the 5 000m and 10 000m records on the track. The multi-talented star is also eyeing ranking points in her bid to qualify for the track 5 000m and 10 000m at the World Championships in Tokyo in September.
The ASA Road Running Championships will also be key to national marathon record holder Gelant's build-up to the world champs. He has made clear his ambition to grab a podium finish at the Tokyo showpiece, after finishing in eleventh place in the marathon at the Paris Olympics.
