Record-breaking runner Glenrose Xaba says she can go quicker

After breaking one of the longest-standing records in South African road running, distance runner Glenrose Xaba believes she can go even faster.

Xaba finished fourth at the Absa Run Your City 10km race in Durban on Sunday, clocking 31:12 to take one second off the 23-year-old national record (31:13) held by former Olympic medallist Elana Meyer.

Kenyan athlete Christine Njoki won the women’s race in 30:37, while local favourite Elroy Gelant won the men’s contest in 27:47, crossing the line just 12 seconds outside the SA record of 27:35 held by Precious Mashele.

Though she didn’t win against a strong international field, it was a real breakthrough for 29-year-old Xaba, who ripped 43 seconds off her personal best.

‘No time to relax’

And she said after the race she was motivated to work even harder in an attempt to go quicker.

“You can be a record holder but you need to stay humble and keep working hard because there are other athletes who are coming behind you and want to be like you,” said Xaba, a seven-time national 10,000m champion on the track.

“So this is no time to relax. It’s time to work very hard and focus on moving forward.

“I’m very glad to be a national record holder but I wish to break the record again. I’ll be very excited if I can run under 31 minutes.”

Motivated by Semenya

Xaba, who was mentored by Meyer (a former half-marathon world record holder) in the early stages of her elite career, is now coached by Violet Semenya and her wife, former Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya.

Being involved in the Semenya family’s training group has been a huge motivating factor for Xaba, and she credited the pair for helping her raise her own standards and chase new goals.

“When I started training with Caster I saw that if you want to be a great athlete you need to work hard. You can’t relax,” Xaba said.

“Caster continued to work hard, even though she was a world champion. She showed me you need to have discipline and motivate yourself to believe you can do anything.”