Glenrose Xaba and Cian Gerber will both be returning to action over the marathon distance in the 2027 season.
Cian Gerber during the Spar Grand Prix 10km race in Gqeberha last year. Picture: Michael Sheehan/Gallo Images
It’s been a quiet year for South African women’s marathon running. Next season should be a cracker.
During the 2026 campaign, Annie Bothma has been the only SA woman to run under 2:40:00 after winning the national title in Durban in 2:27:46.
Neither of the nation’s top two marathon runners, Glenrose Xaba and Cian Gerber, competed over the classic distance this year.
Xaba, the SA record holder, opted to focus on shorter distances in 2026, and Gerber was sidelined for most of the season while recovering from multiple injuries which derailed her career for a year-and-a-half.
Now, looking ahead to the 2027 campaign, both athletes are ready to hit it hard again over the 42km distance.
Returning to the marathon
For Xaba, next year will include a return to the Cape Town Marathon. And since she won the race on debut in 2024, setting a national record of 2:22:22, the event has achieved World Marathon Majors status.
So she has a battle on her hands against a world-class field, but the local star should be able to put up a fight, and if conditions are suitable she could be gunning to become the first SA woman to run under the 2:20:00 barrier.
For Gerber (formerly Oldknow), the last couple of years have been frustrating.
In February 2024, she knocked it out the park in her first international marathon, stopping the clock at 2:25:08 in Seville and climbing to third place in the national all-time rankings. And she went on to finish as the top South African woman at the Olympic Games in Paris later that year, taking 31st place in 2:30:29.
However, after hitting the marathon circuit like a beast, her body gave in and it took ages for her to recover.
Fortunately, she solved those problems, and after making a comeback she produced some gradually progressive times over the 10km distance in the second half of this year before winning the Amsterdam Half-Marathon in 1:11:26.
Now, Gerber has set her sights on a return to the Seville Marathon next season as she aims to prove she is still a force over the 42km distance, and based on her impressive form, she’s likely to make another statement if all goes well.
Steyn, Van Zyl and Bothma could add depth
With former SA record holder Gerda Steyn and four-time Olympian Irvette van Zyl having shifted their focus to ultra-marathon distances, they certainly still have the ability, but it’s unclear whether either will be in contention for places in the SA team at next year’s World Championships or the 2028 Olympics.
But with Xaba and Gerber setting their sights on the 42km event next year, and Bothma showing real potential at the highest level, SA women’s marathon running is set to be resurrected with a bang.
