Just after setting the South African Marathon National Record at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday (20), Glenrose Xaba has just achieved another milestone on her running career.
The 29 year-old smashed the three years-old course of 2:25.44 set by Lydia Simiyu from Kenya with a new course record time and personal best of 2:22.22.
The winning time made Xaba to become the first South African woman to win the marathon since 2010 and also made her to hit the 2025 World Athletics Championships qualifying mark of 2:23.30 therefore becoming the first South African to hit the qualifying time.
Xaba who was born and raised in Govan Mbeki in Mpumalanga province and whose international dream started eleven years ago in Bydgoszcz, will be among the set target number of 100 marathoners that are expected in Japanese capital from September 13-21, 2025.
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Xaba is now the leading South African among the top five elites in women Marathon and is followed by Gerda Steyn of 2:24.03, followed by Cian Oldknow of 2:25.08 with fourth and fifth place going to Irvette van zyl and Dominique Scott-Efurd of 2:26.11 and 2:27.31 with both times set over two years ago.
The WAC qualifying window for the marathon will be closed 4 May 2025.
Xaba who is also the South African 10km National Record holder was followed in second place by the 2016 Rio Olympics Marathon champion, Mare Dibaba Hurssa from Ethiopia in 2:22.36 with Kenya’s Pascalia Jepkogei wrapping up the podium three finishes in a new personal best of 2:22.49.