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(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (05-Jun) -- Halfway through the 2024 Mastercard New York Mini 10K here in Central Park, Amanda Vestri quickly took stock of her position.  She was running in fourth place and the three women who were just one-second ahead of her --Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia, and Sharon Lokedi and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya-- were among the world's best road runners.  It was time to test herself. "My goal was to be top American in the race," she told Race Results Weekly a year ago.  "So, there was a moment in time when it was either stay back with the chunk of the Americans or go ahead with the faster women at the front." Vestri, now 25, stayed cool as the three Africans eventually pulled away.  She went into grind mode and pushed through the second half alone.  Somehow, she managed to achieve a negative split (15:40 for the first half and 15:37 for the second), and finished fourth in a personal best 31:17.  She earned $7500 in prize money, a hugely important payday for a runner who was part of a well-established training group but had no shoe company sponsorship at the time. "That's probably one of the first things that my coach (Pete Rea of ZAP Endurance) mentioned to me after the race," Vestri said in a telephone interview yesterday when asked about that negative split.  She continued: "Obviously, the goal is the same this year, just to go faster." Vestri --along with another 10,000 women-- will race the 53rd edition of the Mini here on Saturday, the world's first-ever road race for women, founded in 1972 by New York Road Runners.  She is part of an incredible elite field which includes some of the very best American distance women, like Olympians Weini Kelati, Emily Sisson, Emily Infeld, and Dakotah Popehn.  Abbott World Majors champions Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, and Gotytom Gebreslase are also in the field (Teferi will not be back to defend her title). Vestri comes into this year's Mini as a completely different athlete from a year ago.  Working with her agent Josh Cox, she picked up a sponsorship with Brooks Running (based, at least in part, on her Mini performance), and has been stacking up months of quality training under Coach Rea and his deputy Ryan Warrenburg. "I just feel like the consistency that we had built throughout the last summer of 2023, after I graduated, and then into 2024 started compounding," Vestri explained.  "Month after month, I just felt like I was getting better and better, and training seemed to be getting better every month, even every week." After her Mini success, Vestri has achieved extraordinary growth as an athlete.  She took fifth in the USA Olympic Team Trials 10,000m last summer just three weeks after the Mini, beaten only by Weini Kelati, Parker Valby, Karissa Schweizer, and Jessica McClain.  She got second at the USATF 6K road running championships, and sixth at the USATF 10K road running championships. A year earlier it seemed unlikely that she would be a factor in those races, but her run at the Mini changed all that. "It just kind of all culminated at the New York Mini," Vestri said.  "That's why this race is so special to me.  I don't know; it just kind of gave me a different confidence as a runner."  She added: "I'm excited to be back." Vestri wanted to try the half-marathon distance last fall, and Coach Rea was all-in.  She had planned to peak for the Valencia Half-Marathon at the end of October, but a little injury forced her to push back her schedule.  Instead of taking the long trip to Spain, Vestri went to Florida and ran in the low-key OUC Orlando Half-Marathon last December.  She popped a solo 1:08:12 in her debut making her the fourth-fastest American for 2024. "My coach and I always wanted to go up to the half this past fall," Vestri said.  "The plan was to do the Valencia Half-Marathon because we were just like, we want to run fast.  We want to go as far under 67 minutes as we can, and when I had that hiccup, that little injury, in October we were like, OK, we have to re-route now.  So, I took a few weeks off, and I'm actually the one who brought up the idea of doing Orlando just as a rust-buster, not for a good time.  I went into that race going, if I run under 70 minutes I'm going to be stoked.  So for me, it came as quite a shock that I came across the line close to 68 minutes.  I guess I didn't realize how good it was at the time." She ran even faster at the Aramco Half-Marathon last January, arguably the most competitive half-marathon in the United States.  She finished fourth in 1:07:35 after smoking through 10K in 31:40 and ten miles in 51:17.  Remarkably, Vestri wasn't satisfied with that performance because her expectations had risen. "We started thinking better numbers in Houston because we know how stacked Houston is," Vestri said.  "Houston is another one of those races I feel, and my coaches feel, was an under-performance day.  I kind of grade myself on effort and performance outcomes after the race."  She continued: "Houston should have been a 67-flat day, or under.  That's where my fitness was at at the time." Vestri would run one more half in that training cycle, the USATF Half-Marathon Championships in Atlanta on March 2, part of the Publix Atlanta Marathon Weekend hosted by the Atlanta Track Club.  On a raw and windy day, she took third on a hilly course in 1:08:17 behind Taylor Roe (1:07:22) and Emma Grace Hurley (1:07:35).  She qualified for Team USATF for the (now cancelled) 2025 World Athletics Road Running Championships. "Atlanta was just a grind fest," Vestri lamented.  "I felt really, really bad the whole way.  That one was all heart.  There was no good feelings for me in that race, physically." Since then Vestri has raced three times, from the mile to 10,000m.  She was happy with two of them, but the third was a big disappointment for her.  At The TEN in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on March 29, she finished 18th in 31:56.56, nowhere near what she had hoped for. "That race was one of the ugliest races of my life," Vestri groaned.  She continued: "When me and my coaches sat down after that race, we all think that what happened is that the three half-marathons, which was a new distance for me last year, in the span of three months that I did it in was just too much on my body and I did not give myself a chance to recover after them.  We were asking my body a little too much at that point." Vestri's most recent race, a 5000m personal best at the Sound Running Track Fest in Los Angeles on May 24, went much better.  She finished fifth in a personal best 15:01.22.  That came on the heels of a 4:47.8 road mile in North Carolina, a race she did for training.  Those two races stimulated a different part of her aerobic system, part of her quest to be a more complete athlete. "We're going to dip down now," said Vestri, who explained that she needed to also work on her speed.  "It's not going to be comfortable; it's going to feel like you're sprinting.  But, at the end of the day that's only going to help your 5K, which is going to help your 10K, which is going to help your half-marathon, which is going to help your marathon.  That's kind of the approach that we took for that one." Reflecting on the past 12 months, Vestri has learned a lot about professional running and about herself.  She's learned to trust the key people who are in her corner, she understands better the business end of the sport, and she's learned not to worry too much about the approval of others.  She's also trying not to be so hard on herself. "Because I take my workouts so seriously I do have those high expectations for myself," she said.  "It's me putting those expectations on myself, it's no one else.  I just feel like that's always how I've been.  I think that's ingrained in a lot of runners.  We're always, like, type-A, I feel.  I envy the type-B runners.  I know some type-B runners and I'm like, I wish I was you." The 2025 Mastercard New York Mini 10K will be broadcast LIVE and FREE on four different platforms on Saturday beginning at 7:45 a.m. EDT: . WABC-TV . ESPN+ . abc7.ny.com . NYRR Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@nyrrvideo) PHOTO: Amanda Vestri after finishing third at the 2025 USATF Half-Marathon Championships in Atlanta on March 2 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. ALBANY, N.Y. (31-May) -- Through a lashing rain and several ankle-deep puddles, Molly Born of the Puma Elite Running team cruised to victory at the 47th Delightful Run For Women 5K.  Despite the awful weather, the 25-year-old former Oklahoma State athlete ran a surprisingly fast 15:31, finishing six seconds ahead of her teammate Jessica McGorty.  Born's time was a personal best and the fastest here in 11 years. "I'm just excited to get back out racing pushing it, making it hard, getting the most out of it," said Born, who hadn't run a race since last November because she was recovering from a stress fracture. Born made her intentions known early.  She and McGorty led key rivals Amy Davis-Green (Hansons-Brooks ODP) and Anna Kostarellis (Asics) through the uphill first kilometer.  The wind and rain were hitting them directly in the face, but both Born and McGorty looked composed.  Born was embracing the bad conditions. "The headwind was really bad in the first, like, K," Born told Race Results Weekly.  "But, I kind of like the bad weather, too." As the leaders turned left into Washington Park where the course goes up and down several short hills, Born used the first downhill to open a gap on McGorty.  She split the first (mostly uphill) mile in 5:17, two seconds ahead of McGorty, a 1500m runner with a powerful kick. "Jess is so fast, I needed to make the race hard," Born said of her strategy.  "I just felt good the first mile." Born ran the up-and-down second mile in a very fast 5:00, increasing her lead on McGorty to 20 seconds.  She shot one final glance back over her left shoulder before plowing through a huge puddle at the park's exit.  When she made the final right turn onto Washington Avenue for the long straightaway to the finish, she was greeted by applause and shouts of encouragement from the runners at the back of the pack who were running in the opposite direction. "All the women were just going crazy on the other side of the street," Born said.  "It was amazing.  They were so, so excited and cheering me on.  It was great." McGorty, who also set a personal best, wasn't surprised that Born got the win today. "I would have liked to stay with her longer, but Molly's tough," McGorty said.  "She's strong and has been having some really good workouts, so the fact that she's out there grinding by herself was not a surprise to me at all.  I'm very happy for her." Davis-Green, who finished second last year, was able to stay close to McGorty in the middle section of the race, but fell behind in the final kilometer.  She finished third in 16:04.  That mark was slower than her 15:45 last year, but was still remarkable given that the 2:28 marathoner is 12 weeks pregnant. "To run almost sub-16:00 I was really pleased with," the rain-soaked Davis-Green said.  "That was really nice." Kostarellis, who like McGorty grew up in Upstate New York, finished fourth in 16:28.  Standing at the finish line with the back of her Asics uniform splattered with mud she said, "That was brutal." The top four women earned $3000, $2500, $2000 and $1500 in prize money, respectively.  When a reporter mentioned to Born that she now had some extra money for end-of-year holiday shopping she smiled. "It will probably go to rent," she said. PHOTO: Molly Born winning the 2025 Delightful Run for Women 5K in a personal best 15:31 (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

Running USA Executive Director Jay Holder sat down with Nathan Nicholas of Nicholas Hill Group to address updates and improvements to the Running USA insurance program, a foundational member benefit. With market-driven changes taking place, this discussion shed light on what members need to know moving forward. You can view the entire conversation in the video above, and highlights are summarized below. Why the Change in Insurance Carriers? Nicholas Hill Group, a longtime insurance partner for Running USA, recently transitioned the program to a new carrier after Everest Insurance exited the market at the end of 2024. This unexpected development, announced around the holiday season, required a swift response. “We didn’t see it coming,” Nicholas explained. “ We had to pivot quickly and find a new home that aligned with our priorities—stability, simplicity, and affordability.” Despite the challenges, Nicholas Hill Group secured a new carrier that maintains the program’s core benefits while enhancing its accessibility and operational efficiency. What's Staying the Same—and What’s Changing? Same: Rates per participant: The per-participant fee structure remains unchanged, offering continuity in pricing. Simple online platform: Members can still complete the entire process—quote, purchase, certificate issuance—in minutes. Coverage scope: From small charity walks to large ultramarathons, all events continue to be covered under the policy. Changes: Minimum Premium and Additional Insured Fees: These upfront costs have increased slightly. Events with fewer than 100 participants may see higher base costs due to the new carrier’s state-filed rates. Policy Length Limitation: Organizers can currently only insure events up to April 1, 2026. This is a temporary structural constraint based on the one-year term of the master policy and will be extended as the program renews. Broader availability of optional coverages: Enhancements like liquor liability (for events where alcohol is sold or served by the organizer) are now available in more jurisdictions than before. Optional Enhancements and Built-In Protections Nicholas highlighted several optional add-ons that members can use to tailor coverage: Liquor Liability Insurance: Now available in more locations, this add-on is essential if your event includes alcohol sales or direct service. Non-Owned Auto Coverage: For events involving volunteer or rented vehicle use. Participant Accident Coverage: Included automatically, this helps with medical expenses if someone is injured at the event. Event cancellation coverage—still available—remains a separate offering. Due to increasing weather-related disruptions, it’s more relevant than ever. Nicholas strongly recommended organizers consider it and noted that Running USA has resources to help members evaluate this option. The Importance of Critical Mass Why should more Running USA members use this insurance platform? Nicholas explained: “The more members participate, the more leverage we all have to negotiate better rates and enhanced coverage.” With increased participation comes increased bargaining power—essential for influencing future policy changes, such as addressing coverage gaps for common issues like service animals at races. "This is your program," he emphasized. "It belongs to Running USA members. The more people who use it and share their experiences, the better we can make it." How to Sign Up or Learn More The good news is that the Running USA insurance program has emerged from transition stronger and more capable than ever. With stable pricing, familiar processes, and added flexibility, the program remains a cornerstone benefit for event organizers across the country. To learn more or secure coverage for your events, visit this webpage. For additional questions, contact membership@runningusa.org.  

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (13-Mar) -- Four-time Olympian Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway will hit 35 this June, but is nonetheless coming off of her best-ever year as a runner.  In 2024 the adidas-sponsored athlete ran national records at 3000m (8:27.02), 10K (30:52), and the half-marathon (1:06:55).  She was also successful in championships racing, taking the silver medal at 5000m at the European Athletics Championships, the gold medal in the half-marathon at those same championships, and eighth place at the Paris Olympics in the 5000m. But it was here in New York where Grøvdal enjoyed one of her most satisfying wins.  At the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half last March, Grøvdal rallied in the 17th kilometer to catch Kenyans Gladys Chepkurui and Edna Kiplagat.  Grøvdal had finished third in both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the race and didn't want to land on the third step of the podium again. "I was so tired then," Grøvdal told reporters.  "Just thinking, it's third this year also.  But then, I don't know.  I just tried to don't get the gap too big.  Suddenly, I was just behind them again." She ended up dropping the Kenyan duo and went on to win by a comfortable 18 seconds, stretching her arms high as she broke the finish tape in Central Park near Tavern on the Green.  The $20,000 first prize wasn't bad, either. "It's up there," Grøvdal said when asked how last year's victory compared with the other important wins in her long international career which began when she was just 15 years-old.  "I have three European golds.  They are big, but I think this is right around that one." Grøvdal credits consistent training and staying healthy for her late-career success, and she's excited to defend her NYC Half title on Sunday. "I'm not sure what's the secret," Grøvdal told Race Results Weekly today in an interview in Times Square.  "I had a lot of years now with no injury.  I've been training well; I think that's the key.  And, of course, I started the season with this race last year and with a win, so it was a very good start."  She continued: "It's just many years with a lot of work." Varying her running has also been important to Grøvdal, who enjoys cross country, track, and road running equally.  Although she missed last December's European Athletics Cross Country Championships --an event in which she has a record 10 individual medals-- she did place 13th in the World Athletics Cross Country Championships last March. "I think that's what motivates me, to do a lot of races," Grøvdal explained.  "I love cross country, I love roads, and I love track.  So, I've always been very into competing, and competing in different distances from shorter to longer.  I think that's very important to me to have the drive to do running, actually." Remarkably Grøvdal is still maintaining --and even improving-- her speed.  Over the last three seasons she has lowered her half-marathon best to 1:08:07 in 2022, 1:07:34 in 2023, and then 1:06:55 last year.  She's also run season-best times for 5000m of 14:31.07, 14:45.24 and 14:38.62 for 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.  That made her the fastest European at that distance for 2022, and the third-fastest for both 2023 and 2024. That's noteworthy for an athlete who races half the time or more on the roads. "I just think when I'm in good shape I can do all the distances very good, and now is my first year I am training for a marathon.  Everybody tells me you get slower now.  So, hopefully I will run fast at 5 and 10K still, because I think I have to improve my 5 and 10K for the marathon, also." Grøvdal's first marathon is on the immediate horizon. She has chosen to try the distance at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg, the same event where two-time Olympic Marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge made his debut.  She could have run in London (on the same day) and surely made a solid appearance fee, but in Hamburg she'll be able to run with less pressure and bring her own male pacers (the TCS London Marathon uses an all-women's elite race). "My plan is to run in Hamburg the 27th of April," Grøvdal said.  She continued: "It was that one or London.  But I think for my first marathon maybe it's good to have a more low-key (race).  I can have two guys who helping with the pacing; London is the women-only.  So, I think it will be a good place to start, then I do a fall marathon." On Sunday Grøvdal --and the approximately 27,000 other runners in the field-- will compete on a new course from Brooklyn to Manhattan which will cross the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time.  Her main rivals will be Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel, Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, Emily Sisson and Fiona O’Keeffe of the United States, and Calli Hauger-Thackery of Great Britain. "We like to call the New York City Half 'the one to run,'" said New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer at a press conference this morning.  "We're excited to go over the Brooklyn Bridge." PHOTO: Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway in Times Square in advance of the 2025 United Airlines NYC Half (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

ATLANTA (02-Mar) - In near-freezing temperatures with biting winds, Alex Maier and Taylor Roe of North Carolina-based Puma Elite Running won the USATF Half Marathon Championships this morning in dramatic fashion.  The former Oklahoma State All-Americans survived fast, early paces in their respective races, then used their strength to pull away from their remaining rivals in the final miles.  Both athletes won their first national titles, $20,000 in prize money, and guaranteed berths on Team USATF for the World Athletics Road Running Championships. "They did OK," joked their coach Alistair Cragg.  "For two youngsters at this level they acted like old veterans out there.  It was great; fun to see." KELATI BLOWS OPEN WOMEN'S RACE National half-marathon record holder Weini Kelati (Under Armour / Dark Sky Distance), made the first big move in the women's race.  After following the solid early pace set by Emily Venters (Nike) who went through 5 km in 16:15, Kelati surged in the sixth mile, splitting 10 km in 32:03 with an eight-second lead over Roe, Emma Grace Hurley (Asics / Heartland TC), Amanda Vestri (Brooks / ZAP Endurance), and Jess McClain (Brooks). "Pretty decisive move," said 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson on the race broadcast. Indeed, it looked like Kelati, whose personal best of 1:06:09 was over a minute faster than any other woman in the field, would run away with the race.  But in the eighth mile, Roe and Hurley began to work together to reel her in. "Taylor got moving and I went with her," Hurley told Race Results Weekly.  "She kind of made a comment to me, like, 'let's go try to catch her,' so we tried to pick it up and gain on Weini."  She added: "It was awesome to be chasing her." Forty-three minutes and five seconds into the race, Roe and Hurley caught Kelati.  The trio ran together only briefly before Roe pressed the pace and she and Hurley began to pull away.  By the 15 km point (47:50) Hurley had just run a 15:39 5-kilometer segment with Roe just one second behind.  Kelati was eight seconds back, and Vestri was running alone in fourth place after pulling away from Venters. Hurley - who grew up in nearby Roswell and formerly represented the Atlanta Track Club - knew the course better than Roe, and made good use of the many short hills in the latter stages of the race. She built a small gap on Roe, but the 2023 Big 12 5000m champion had more in the tank.  Roe pulled even with Hurley, then began to get away.  She felt confident in her fitness based on the training she had done with her group which includes Fiona O'Keeffe, the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon champion. "I train with some of the best people, best in the world, best in the U.S.," Roe said in her post-race broadcast interview.  "I came in with confidence.  What my competitors are going to do to me today is nothing I haven't faced in practice." Roe ran alone to the finish in the Home Depot Backyard adjacent to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and broke the tape in 1:07:22.  She smashed her personal best by nearly a minute and a half, and made her first national team. "It's good news, but it's bad news that I have to run another half-marathon," Roe said with a laugh.  She added: "I'm really glad, grateful." Hurley, who only finished 89th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in her senior year at Furman University, held on to second place and finished in a big personal best of 1:07:35.  Like Roe, today's race was only Hurley's second half marathon and she thought that she got her tactics nearly right. "I may have gone a bit early, although I think sometimes in the race if you're feeling good it's OK to take a little bit of a risk," Hurley told Race Results Weekly.  She continued: "It was so special to be out there today." Kelati struggled in the final kilometers of the race, and was passed by Vestri, McClain and Venters (she finished sixth in 1:09:07).  Vestri held on for third, and in her third half-marathon clinched her first national team berth in 1:08:17.  She was very happy with her race. "By the grace of God," Vestri said, when asked how she maintained her composure in the final stages of today's competition.  "That was the only thing I was holding on to towards the end.  I was like, God, just get me through this.  Miles eight to twelve I was suffering pretty bad." McClain finished fourth, the same position as in last year's USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon.  But the 33 year-old from Phoenix was pleased with a new personal best of 1:08:37 while in the middle of her mileage-heavy Boston Marathon build-up. "It's OK," said McClain, who had trouble getting her words out because her jaw was so cold.  "I would much rather take fourth than Amanda.  I'm happy."  She added: "I felt really good on the hills; that's a good sign for Boston." Given the cold temperatures, strong winds, and hilly course, it was remarkable that the first ten women broke 1:10. BOR TAKES IT OUT HARD Two-time Olympic steeplechaser Hillary Bor (Hoka) stated his intentions early in the men's race, going right to the front from the gun.  He clicked off the first two miles in 4:37 and 4:28, respectively, and built up a small lead.  But by the 5 km point (14:06) the main pack of Teshome Mekonen (On), Nate Martin (Asics), Joe Klecker (On Athletics Club), Andrew Colley (ZAP Endurance), Ahmed Muhumed (Hoka NAZ Elite), Shadrack Kipchirchir (Puma / American Distance Project), and Maier were with him again. "You know I looked at the entries and I knew there were a lot of 10K guys," Bor told Race Results Weekly.  "I didn't want it to come down to a kick."  He added: "I knew if I was going to make the team I had to run my own race." Bor, Martin, Mekonen and Muhumed got away in the fourth mile, but the chase pack --led by Colley-- closed them down just a mile later.  Bor was still leading at the 10 km point (28:27), but the pack had grown to nine: Bor, Mekonen, Muhumed, Martin, Colley, Klecker, Maier, Kipchirchir, and Ryan Ford (ZAP Endurance).  Bor decided to put in another move, and he and Mekonen started pulling away from the field in the eighth mile, but then he backed off his pace again. "I was expecting someone to come with me," said Bor.  "When I got to mile seven I didn't want to run all the second half by myself.  I slowed down, waited for the crew and run with the group." By the 15 km mark (42:55) only Klecker, Martin and Mekonen had been dropped.  That's when Maier asserted himself.  He got on the front, and started to pull the field single-file.  Only Bor and Kipchirchir could stay with his pace.  Like his teammate Roe, he was feeling confident. "I mean, I knew I was capable of it," said the 24 year-old Maier.  "I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself coming into it.  I'm still relatively new to marathons, half-marathons.  I felt like I was in a good place fitness-wise." With about a mile to go, Maier dropped both Bor and Kipchirchir.  He ran unchallenged to the finish, breaking Publix-branded finish tape in 1:00:48, a three-second personal best. "It was about going out and running my best race," said Maier, who enjoyed the hilly course.  "It reminds me a lot of Oklahoma State, training on our cross country course.  Our cross country course is super hilly, right?  So, I feel like I was very in my element today." Kipchirchir edged Bor for second, 1:00:58 to 1:00:59.  Kipchirchir, the 2022 USATF cross country champion, got a personal best.  Bor was disappointed not to get the victory. "I wanted to win," Bor told reporters.  "Every time I start on the line I want to win.  But, at the end of the day I ran my race, I made the team, and I'm glad for Shaddy.  This is a strong guy.  It's good to compete." Muhumed took fourth in 1:01:03, a personal best, and Colley - who did a lot of the work mid-race - was fifth in 1:01:09.  He had hoped to make the team after recovering from a virus and training well. "I didn't really have any expectations for how it would run out," Colley told Race Results Weekly.  "The glutes started seizing up when everybody started moving and I tried to just stay focused and keep an eye on them.  I got closer, but by the time I started feeling good again it was gone." PHOTO: Taylor Roe winning the 2025 USATF Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, Published with permission. NEW YORK (18-Feb) -- Olympians Conner Mantz (Nike) and Emily Sisson (New Balance) are set to lead the USA charge at the 18th edition of the United Airlines NYC Half here on Sunday, March 16.  The two USA record holders --the half-marathon for Mantz and the marathon for Sisson-- are part of a star-studded field announced today by race founders and organizers, New York Road Runners.  The 2024 edition was the second-largest half-marathon in the United States last year with 27,824 finishers. Mantz, 28, who won the USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon last February, is coming off a record-setting runner-up finish at the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon on January 19 where he set a new American record of 59:17.  In that race Mantz also set national records at 15 km (42:05), 10 miles (45:16), and 20 km (56:23) on his way to the finish.  Last November, he finished sixth in the TCS New York City Marathon in 2:09:00, the fastest time ever by an American at that race. "I was fortunate to kick off my 2025 season with an American record in the half-marathon," Mantz said through a statement. "Racing the United Airlines NYC Half will help me to continue that momentum during an important year of racing. Every time I race in New York, the crowds and camaraderie are unmatched, so I'm excited to have another opportunity to compete against some of the fastest and strongest athletes in the world." Sisson, 33, made her half-marathon debut at the NYC Half back in 2017 when she battled her then training partner Molly Huddle right to the tape, clocking 1:08:21 to finish second by two seconds.  She finished second again in 2018, and hasn't competed in the event since.  However, she later ran excellent half-marathons on flatter courses, and set a since-broken national record of 1:06:52 in Houston in 2023.  She set the still-standing USA marathon record of 2:18:29 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2022. Both Mantz and Sisson will have plenty of competition for the NYC Half's $20,000 first prize.  Two Kenyans, Abel Kipchumba and Richard Etir, have fast personal best times of 58:07 and 59:32, respectively on their résumés.  Kipchumba, who represents adidas, won the 2024 edition of the race in 1:00:25, while Etir will make his New York debut. Other top entrants include Briton Patrick Dever (1:00:11 PB); Americans Hillary Bor (1:00:20), Biya Simbassa (1:00:37), and Reed Fischer (1:00:54); Kenyan Wesley Kiptoo (1:00:34); Eritrean Yemane Haileselassie (1:01:34); and Japan's Yudai Kiyama (1:00:32) and Hibiki Murakami (1:01:46).  Canadian Olympic 5000m silver medalist Moh Ahmed, and two-time American Olympian Woody Kincaid will make their half-marathon debuts (both have run sub-27:00 for 10,000m on the track). On the women's side three-time European cross country champion, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal of Norway, will try to retain her title.  She won the 2024 edition of the race in 1:09:09, 18 seconds ahead of Kenyan Gladys Chepkurui. "Winning the 2024 United Airlines NYC Half was a dream come true and set the tone for the rest of my season," said Grøvdal, who represents adidas. "This race is extremely special to me and to have the opportunity to defend my title is an incredible honor." Including Sisson and Grøvdal, a total of seven women who are entered have run under 68 minutes for the half-marathon distance.  The others are Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel (1:06:09), Calli Hauger-Thackery of Great Britain (1:06:58), Sara Hall of the United States (1:07:15), Sharon Lokedi of Kenya (1:07:42), and Fiona O'Keeffe of the United States (1:07:42).  O'Keeffe was the 2024 USA Olympic Team Trials Marathon champion. In the professional wheelchair division, Susannah Scaroni will try for her third straight NYC Half title, while Dutchman Geert Schipper will try to win for the second consecutive time. ** This year's NYC Half will take runners over the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time after using the Manhattan Bridge since the start was moved to Brooklyn from Manhattan in 2018.  The finish line will still be in Central Park, just south of Tavern on the Green.  The point-to-point course is not record eligible, but is very tough with many hills and a high point of 45 meters above sea level. PHOTO: Conner Mantz competing in the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(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)