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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, Published with permission. HOUSTON (19-Jan) -- Conner Mantz and Weini Kelati set new American records at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon on a chilly and windy morning here.  Mantz, 28, the reigning USATF marathon champion, crushed Ryan Hall's mythical record of 59:43 set here in 2007, running 59:17 and nearly winning the race overall.  Kelati, 28, broke her own record of 1:06:25 set here a year ago, clocking 1:06:09. "It was a special day today," said Mantz, who finished second to Ethiopia's Addisu Gobena by 4/100ths of a second (both athletes were given the same time).  He added: "My coach Ed Eyestone prepared me really well." Mantz made his intentions known right from the gun at 6:45 a.m.  With a black watch cap pulled down low on his head, Mantz tucked in behind pacemaker Amon Kemboi of Kenya along with Gobena, Gabriel Geay of Tanzania, and Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia, twice the race champion here. Kemboi did a great job, taking the quartet of contenders through 5 km in 14:02 and 10 km in 28:01.  That put them just under the required pace to break Feyisa Lelisa's course record of 59:22 set in 2012. Although Kemboi dropped just after 10K, the pace remained strong through 15K.  The third 5-kilometer segment was timed in 14:04, and the four athletes were rotating against the wind.  Gobena did a lot of the leading. Remarkably, the four stayed together all the way to the final kilometer, and it was only inside of the final 200 meters that a head-to-head sprint between Gobena and Mantz set up.  Gobena had a one-step lead and appeared to be getting away, but Mantz surged on the Ethiopian's left and tried to overtake him.  As the two barreled for the narrow finish tape, Gobena angled slightly to his left, squeezing Mantz, who nearly ran into one of the tape-holders.  Officials confirmed that Gobena was the winner, and the two athletes embraced after the finish. "I was very happy to be able to run with all of those runners," said Gobena, who won $15,000 in prize money.  "I was very happy to be able to compete with such great athletes." Along the way to his record, Mantz split 42:05 at 15K, 45:16 at 10 miles, and 56:23 at 20K.  Those are all pending national records. "This is a record I really wanted," said Mantz, looking a little shocked.  "I want to lower it down the road." Going down the finish order, Geay took third in 59:18, Yimer got fourth in 59:20, and Britain's Patrick Dever took fifth in 1:00:11. In the women's race Kelati also set pending American records at 15K (46:32), 10 miles (50:05), and 20K (1:02:43). "The goal is just to run hard from the beginning (and) that's what I did," said Kelati, who said that stomach problems almost derailed her race today. Like Mantz, Kelati finished second.  Senayet Getachew of Ethiopia picked up five seconds on Kelati in the 20th kilometer, and held a four-second lead to the finish.  She won in 1:06:05 and claimed the $15,000 first prize. "The race was very good, the race was very tough," said Getachew through a translator.  She continued: "I have never run in weather like this before." Both Mantz and Kelati took home $18,000: $8,000 for second place and $10,000 for setting new national records. The Chevron Houston Marathon lacked the fireworks of the half, but was still an exciting race.  The men's elite pack went out conservatively in 1:04:17 which kept ten men in contention, including Israel's Haimro Alame, Eritrea's Yemane Haileselassie, and Kenya's Shadrack Kimining. Haileselassie, who won the Honolulu Marathon last month, put in a surge after 30-K, running the 5-kilometer segment between 30 and 35-K in 14:49.  That was too fast for most of the pack, and set up a three-way battle between Alame, Haileselassie, and Kimining just past 40-K.  Alame put in a surge of his own and ran away for the win in 2:08:17.  He won $50,000 in prize money. "At the beginning it was slower because it was so cold, so the only option was to save everything for the finishing kick," said Alame, clutching the Israeli flag. Haileselassie took second in 2:08:25, Kimining got third in 2:08:29, and France's Hugo Taupiac took fourth in 2:08:50.  Christian Allen was the top American in seventh place in 2:10:32.  His time was the fastest ever by an American man in Houston. In the women's division of the marathon, Ethiopia's Kumeshi Sichala got away from compatriot Tsige Haileslase and American Erika Kemp in the 26th kilometer, and only had men for company for the rest of the race.  She cruised to a personal best 2:20:42. "It was after the halfway that I left everyone behind," said Sichala through a translator.  "After the pacemaker dropped out, I followed runners (men) who were running for themselves.  At 26-K I was able to pull away." Kemp, who was running in only her second marathon, achieved her goal of running the "massive PB" she said she was trying for. She finished second in 2:22:56, a 2025 World Championships qualifier and the second-fastest time ever by an American woman in Houston.  She improved her personal best by over 11 minutes. Haileslase, who struggled in the second half, held on for third in 2:25:09.  Fourth went to another Ethiopian, Anna Dibaba, in 2:26:49.  Amber Zimmerman of Philadelphia got fifth in 2:29:01. Both the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon and Chevron Houston Marathon are World Athletics Gold Label Road Races.  This is the only event with two Gold Label races contested on the same day at the same time. PHOTO: Weini Kelati and Conner Mantz after setting USA records at the 2025 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly all rights reserved. Published with permission. HOUSTON (18-Jan) -- Ryan Hall's USATF half-marathon record of 59:43 was set here in 2007 at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon, and despite the introduction of "super shoes" in 2016, which use carbon plates to help propel runners forward, Hall's record has yet to be broken.  Hall, now 42, set that mark as a 24 year-old while making his half-marathon debut. "My plan was to just see how I felt," Hall told Race Results Weekly that day.  "I was just going with the race pace I could maintain." America's best road runners of the last decade --Dathan Ritzenhein, Galen Rupp, Leonard Korir, and Hillary Bor-- have been unable to break the record giving Hall's mark a mythical quality.  But a new crop of athletes are ready to try on the streets of Houston on Sunday, including Olympians Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker and Morgan Pearson.  For them Hall's record is definitely top of mind. "There were a lot of races to pick from, but the most exciting one for me was always Houston," Klecker said at a press conference yesterday.  The 28 year-old, who is coached by 2009 World Half-Marathon Championships bronze medalist Dathan Ritzenhein, is trying the distance for the first time and wants to run fast.  "I've seen the field and there's people in this race who have run faster than that record.  So, if I go in there and try to win, and if I feel good push for it, it's possible.  From the stuff I've done in training I believe it indicates that it's a doable goal." Klecker did his build-up with Pearson, an Olympic silver medalist in the triathlon mixed relay, who is a gifted runner.  Pearson, 31, ran a 1:01:08 half-marathon in Valencia last October a week after he wrapped up his triathlon season in Malaga.  He was clearly excited by the chance to run fast here.  He called his result in Valencia an "OK race" and would like to go faster. "I was left wanting more," Pearson said of his run in Valencia.  He added: "After Valencia, I hope to improve my time." Mantz, 28, the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon champion who won the 2021 USATF Half-Marathon Championships in a personal best 1:00:55, was motivated to run here based in part on the strength of the field.  He had a terrific year in 2024 culminating in an eighth place finish at the Paris Olympic Marathon and a sixth place showing at the TCS New York City Marathon.  His time at New York of 2:09:00 was the fastest ever by an American on New York's tough course. "With this elite field there's a ton that's possible," Mantz said.  "With a field like this you can definitely get fast times and the American record could go down.  Part of the reason I wanted to come here was it's a fast course, and you have Morgan and Joe and plenty of other elite Americans running here.  I want to be in that race whether I'm ready or not." The other top Americans include Olympians Clayton Young (1:01:18 PB) and Hillary Bor (1:01:20), Diego Estrada (1:00:49), Frank Lara (1:01:00), and Futsum Zienasellassie (1:01:21).  The fastest international athletes are Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia (58:33 PB), Gabriel Geay of Tanzania (59:42), Abe Gashahun of Ethiopia (59:46), and Wesley Kiptoo of Kenya (1:00:43).  Yimer has won the race twice. Not to be overlooked is the possibility of a USA record on the women's side.  Last year, Weini Kelati came to this race and ran a national record 1:06:25 in her debut.  She's back this year and is ready to run fast. "It was my first half-marathon last year and I didn't know how it was going to be," said Kelati, whose last race was a 4:29 road mile in Hawaii in December.  She continued:  "I'm just really excited, and we'll see how well I can race because training has been really, really good.  And I'm just excited to be here." Amanda Vestri, who ran 1:08:12 in her half-marathon debut in Orlando last month, is also running here, but doesn't expect to be challenging Kelati, she said.  Other top Americans include Natosha Rogers (1:09:36 PB), Lindsay Flanagan (1:09:37), Lauren Hagens (1:09:41), and Susanna Sullivan (1:09:42).  The fastest international women are Buze Diriba of Ethiopia (1:06:24) and Jessica Warner-Judd of Great Britain (1:07:07). Cold and windy conditions are expected here for Sunday, which may slow the race down.  At the 6:45 a.m. start, the temperature should be about 35F/2C. The Aramco Houston Half-Marathon is a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race.  Race winners will receive $15,000 in prize money, and breaking the course records (59:22 for men and 1:04:37 for women, respectively) is worth a $15,000 bonus.  American record breakers can earn a bonus of $10,000. "I really don't know what's possible," said Mantz.  "It's a blast.  I love competing." PHOTO: Four of the top athletes entered in the 2025 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon (left to right): Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker, Morgan Pearson and Jemal Yimer (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. (15-Jan) -- The reigning Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, the 2021 Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, and current world record holder Ruth Chepngetich have all been contracted to run the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, April 27, organizers announced last night. Hassan, a Dutchwoman, won the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon in a Games record 2:22:55.  She out-sprinted then world record holder Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia  who finished three seconds behind.  Hassan also won bronze medals in the 5000m and 10,000m at the Paris Games, an unprecedented triple for a woman. "Every moment in the race I was regretting that I ran the 5000 and 10,000," Hassan admitted that day.  "I was telling myself if I hadn't done that, I would feel great today. From the beginning to the end, it was so hard." Hassan won the TCS London Marathon in 2023, also in a sprint finish, in her debut marathon.  She has a personal best of 2:13:44, the European record and the third-fastest of all time. Jepchirchir, a Kenyan, won the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Marathon (held in Sapporo in 2021), and is the reigning London Marathon champion (she was also third in 2023).  Her 2024 winning time of 2:16:16 was a women-only world record, surpassing the 2:17:01 that compatriot Mary Keitany had run in London in 2017.  Jepchirchir was also the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon champion and the 2023 World Half-Marathon gold medalist. Chepngetich, also from Kenya, won last October's Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a jaw-dropping 2:09:56, a world record.  Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, would have finished 11th had she been entered in the men's division.  Unlike Hassan and Jepchirchir, Chepngetich has yet to win the London Marathon, finishing third in her only appearance in the special COVID-safe edition held in October, 2020, in St. James's Park. "The TCS London Marathon always brings together the best athletes in the world and I am sure this year will be as competitive as ever," Chepngetich said through a statement.  "Myself, Peres and the other women are strong, so it will be a competitive one and I want to prepare as best as I can and we will see if we can lower Peres's world record of 2:16:16 from last year. With the strength of the field, I think we can support each other and maybe the world record will fall." Certainly, the three women will have Paula Radcliffe's absolute London Marathon women's record of 2:15:25 in mind, a mark set in a mixed-sex race in 2003. "Ruth's world record at the Chicago Marathon last year was an incredible performance that re-defined what is possible in women's marathon running," said Spencer Barden, the TCS London Marathon elite athletes chief.  "So, we are delighted to welcome her back to the TCS London Marathon and are very excited to see her take on the Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, plus last year's champion and women's only world record holder Peres Jepchirchir here in London in what will be one of the great marathon contests." The TCS London Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the premiere series of global marathons.  The race reported a record 53,790 finishers in 2024 making it the fourth-largest marathon in the world. PHOTO: Ruth Chepngetich after setting her world record at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. CHICAGO (13-Oct) -- Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, ran an astonishing time of 2:09:56 at this morning's Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a pending World Athletics record by nearly two minutes.  Guided by two male pacemakers, the 30 year-old ran consecutive half-marathons of 1:04:16 and 1:05:41.  Amazingly, her first half split was the fastest-ever half-marathon run by a woman on U.S. soil. "It's just mind-boggling," said two-time Olympian Ed Eyestone on the local television broadcast of the race. Chepngetich, who was not selected for the 2024 Kenyan Olympic team, came out swinging today.  Shadowed by Ethiopia's Sutume Kebede, she scooted through the first 5K in 15-flat, and 10-K in 30:14.  At that point she was on pace for a 2:07:34 finish, and Kebede was only two seconds back. "This year the weather was perfect," said Chepngetich, who had already won this race twice before, in 2021 and 2022.  She added: "Like I say, I was well prepared.  World record was on my mind." After the 10K mark Chepngetich got into a sizzling and unprecedented rhythm.  For the next four 5K segments she clocked 15:18, 15:19, 15:26, and 15:32.  Kebede faded back more and more with each passing kilometer (she would eventually finish second in 2:17:32), and at various points she ran with American elite men, including Nathan Martin and Shadrack Kipchirchir. "When I looked over, I know we're running 2:07 pace and she looked great," said the top American man, C.J. Albertson, who ran close to Chepngetich during the first 10K. Her pace seemed unsustainable. Yet, after slowing slightly from 30 to 35K (15:43), she picked it up again from 35 to 40K (15:39).  When she crested "Mount Roosevelt," the small hill which begins with about 400 meters left in the race, she was able to summon a sprint to the finish and break 2:10.  She collapsed into the arms of race director Cary Pinkowski just after crossing the finish line. "Chicago is like a home," said Chepngetich, who earned $150,000 in prize and bonus money from the race, and will surely earn more in undisclosed bonuses.  She added: "This is my fourth year coming to Chicago. The fans are so motivating, pushing me." Irine Cheptai of Kenya (2:17:51), Buze Diriba of Ethiopia (2:20:22) and Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya (2:20:51) rounded out the top-5.  The top American was Susanna Sullivan who finished seventh in 2:21:56, a huge personal best. "This time a year ago I couldn't walk; I had a fractured kneecap," said Sullivan, a sixth grade math teacher from Virginia. She won $15,000 in prize money as the top American and said she might use it to do some work on the old house she and her husband recently bought in Maine. "It will certainly come in handy because it's definitely a fixer-upper," she said. Lindsay Flanagan was the second USA woman, finishing ninth in a personal best 2:23:31, and Emma Bates was the third American in 11th in 2:24:00. Chepngetich's performance overshadowed a fine victory for Kenya's John Korir in the men's race.  Korir, 27, whose older brother Wesley was the 2012 Boston Marathon winner, ran a 4:37 20th mile then 14:01 from 30 to 35 km.  That crippled the rest of the field, and allowed Korir to scamper to the finish alone and clock a personal best 2:02:44, the second-fastest winning time ever at this race. "I was excited," Korir told reporters after the race.  "I knew I was in 2:02 shape."  He added: "I knew I wanted to close the season in a PB and I did it." Out of the group of six men Korir dropped in the 20th mile, Ethiopia's Mohamed Esa did the best and finished second in 2:04:39.  Kenya's Amos Kipruto took third in 2:04:50, and two more Kenyans rounded out the top-5, Vincent Ngetich (2:05:16) and Daniel Ebenyo (2:06:04).  Ebenyo, the 2023 World Athletics Championships 10,000m silver medalist, was making his marathon debut. Albertson, the top American, ran a personal best 2:08:17, good for seventh place.  He passed compatriot Zach Panning with about a mile and a half to go (Panning ended up ninth in 2:09:16).  Albertson, who will also run the TCS New York City Marathon in three weeks, enjoyed the atmosphere of today's race, but found the flat course oddly challenging. "You just get no breaks," said Albertson, who said that hilly courses allow him to change-up his muscle usage.  He added: "The whole first 16 miles there's no break.  It's just uncomfortable the whole time." In the wheelchair divisions the pre-race favorites Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner, both of Switzerland, prevailed.  Hug won a close race over Daniel Romanchuk of the USA, 1:25:54 to 1:25:58.  Japan's Tomoki Suzuki was third in 1:26:05.  It was Hug's fifth victory in Chicago, and his third in a row. "It was a big challenge today with Daniel," he said.  "He was very strong.  I attacked many times." Debrunner caught a break when her top opponent, Susannah Scaroni of the United States, got a flat tire before the 5-K mark.  Debrunner raced the clock instead and broke her own course record by more than two minutes.  Her time of 1:36:12 generated earnings of $90,000: $40,000 for the win and $50,000 for a new course record. "I was super excited to come back here to Chicago," said Debrunner, who ended her 2024 season with today's race.  She added: "It was a really tough race, there was a lot of wind.  It's always tough when you're by yourself. I struggled quite often." Scaroni finished 12th in 1:56:20. ** Today's race was part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a World Athletics Platinum Label road race.  Race officials expected about 51,000 finishers today, but the official total will not be known until tonight. PHOTO: Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya celebrates after setting a pending World Athletics record of 2:09:56 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. CHICAGO (11-Oct) -- At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon last February in Orlando, Zach Panning made the most important move of the race, dropping a 4:49 sixth mile and breaking the race open.  He felt confident.  Still a young marathoner, he felt free to experiment. "This was my first Trials and, I would say, inexperience was showing a little bit," he said after that race.  "I'm really proud of how I raced." After a 64:07 halfway split and a 4:44 17th mile, Panning's energy was sapped by the time he reached the last two miles. He faded to sixth place at the finish line in 2:10:50, and his Olympic dream would have to wait four more years.  Still, that race showed him that on the right day he could run a fast marathon.  He hopes that at Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon here he can achieve that goal.  It was here in 2022 where he set his still-standing personal best of 2:09:28, a time he hopes to beat by minutes. "Personally, I think I have improved a lot since then," Panning told Race Results Weekly in an interview here this morning just after finishing his training run.  "It hasn't really shown up on a results page.  That's really my goal, right?  Just improve on that personal best and just finish as high as I can." Panning, 29, has had an unusual year.  After recovering from the Trials he ran an unconventional slate of events.  He did an 8-kilometer team event in Chicago with his Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project teammates, a road 5K in Boston, a 10,000m track race in Britain, and the USA Olympic Team Trials, also at 10,000m.  The goal was to get him away from marathon training, change-up his muscle usage, and allow him to clear his head before buckling down for big miles he would need to run ahead of Chicago in the fall. "I feel like each time it's a little more difficult to go back to the track," Panning explained.  "I'm in my young marathon career here.  I think it's important to not let things get stale (and) run those faster races, get uncomfortable still.  That was kind of the goal of the segment."  He continued: "The focus was on this fall, running a fall marathon.  But, be able to spin those gears a little quicker this summer was nice." As he built-up his mileage this summer Kevin Hanson, who coaches Panning with his brother Keith, could see that his athlete was on a good trajectory.  They used a 14-week build-up, instead of the usual 12, and Panning responded positively. "Honestly, the race couldn't get here fast enough," Kevin Hanson told Race Results Weekly in the lobby of the athletes' hotel.  He added: "We've been doing this long enough that I've seen him do what other people haven't been able to do." A month ago Panning tested his fitness at the Philadelphia Distance Run Half-Marathon.  It was a "train-though" race where he wanted to check how he felt at marathon pace, the kind of faster-than-Orlando tempo he hopes to run here on Sunday. "The goal was to run 10 miles at race pace and then go the last three if you could," said Panning, who clocked a personal best 1:02:48.  "That's kind of what we did.  Maybe I was just a little bit quick early on, but at the end of the day I was able to accelerate off of it.  We were pleased with that." Panning also used the Philadelphia race to help train his mind, to stick with a race plan when others around him were in different periods of their seasons. "That was another thing: trying to run what I want to run," Panning explained.  "I haven't run a lot of halfs.  That PR, just knowing you can run under 63 makes it a little easier to wrap your brain around running 63:30 two times, or 64 two times.  I think that helps build up confidence as well." With cool weather forecast for Sunday morning, after a temperature spike into the 80's today, conditions will be good for the power-packed elite field here on Sunday.  In fact, keeping his pace in check might be his biggest challenge.  He's ready for that, he said. "I think that's where having a team comes into play quite a bit," Panning said.  "I really enjoy having some fun with my teammates.  Not making light of the race, but just being able to enjoy the process of getting here.  The result is going to take care of itself if you are focused on what you did to get here."  He added: "It's like getting ready for the school play for months and then when it's finally here, that performance is the most important part, the most exciting part.  But, all the rehearsals leading up to that moment is what you remember, not necessarily the performance.  I think about that a lot going into races like this." When he's not running, Panning has been following the Major League Baseball playoffs.  Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, he didn't grow up rooting for Detroit sports teams.  But now that he lives in Michigan, he's gotten on board with Detroit fandom.  He's rooting for the Tigers in the American League Division Series which concludes tomorrow with the fifth and deciding game against the Cleveland Guardians. "I've got to be cheering for the Tigers," Panning said, breaking into a smile.  "I wasn't a Tigers fan growing up, but Detroit sports is so crazy.  People just get invested in it, in these teams.  I think they are just starved for the playoff atmosphere.  When they get a taste of it it's cool to see, cool to see the city." ** At today's elite athletes press conference, former USA marathon record holder Keira D'Amato revealed that she has a bet with her husband, Anthony, on the outcome of the race.  Anthony, an accomplished recreational runner, will try to stay within 40 minutes of his wife.  The couple purchased a WWE-type championship belt, and the winner of the bet gets the belt. While D'Amato said that her husband had trained well, the 39 year-old liked her chances. "I think it's cute that he thinks he'll be within 40 minutes," she told the media today. PHOTO: Zach Panning finishing 12th at the 2023 World Athletics Championships marathon in Budapest in 2:11:21 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)