American records fall again in Houston

The event saw two American records and a course record shattered despite cold and windy conditions.

In the men’s half marathon, all eyes were on history. The 14-year old course record of 59:22 and 18-year-old American half marathon record of 59:43 were both under attack from the start. Aided by a pacer, a group of four men – two-time champion Jemal Yimer (ETH), Conner Mantz (USA), Gabriel Geay (TAN) and Addison Gobena (ETH) – set a blistering early pace. They passed the 10K point in 28:00, well-ahead of both marks.

After the pacer stepped off the course, the four alternated turns blocking the wind and setting the pace, getting far enough ahead of the records to account for impact of the headwind starting at mile 9. The winning move came in the final mile when Gobena and Mantz surged to the front In a scene reminiscent of the last two Aramco Houston Half Marathon finishes, the pair were side by side as they broke the tape in 59:17. Gobena edged Mantz for the victory by .04, setting a new course record while Mantz took runner-up, breaking Ryan Hall’s 18-year-old record by 26 seconds.

“The Aramco Houston Half Marathon is a race that will change my life,” said Gobena, who set a personal best by more than a minute and a half. “The course record, I wasn’t expecting it but I am very happy.”

“It hasn’t settled in just yet but it feels pretty good,” said Mantz who, despite getting the record, expressed some regret about not competing harder for the victory. “I took off a little too late. I didn’t know what pace we were on. I was doing some math in my head. I think I should have been more concerned about racing at that point in time because the American Record was going to come.”

The women’s half marathon was a three-woman competition from the early miles. Ethiopians Senayet Getachew and Buze Diriba along with American Weini Kelati tucked in with their male pacers at a five-minute per mile clip, putting more than one-minute on the chase pack. Kelati, a 2024 Olympian in the 10,000m, was looking to better her American record while Getachew, a junior World Cross Country champion, was hoping to make a statement on the roads at just 19-years-old. With a mile to go, Diriba had fallen back while Getachew and Kelati battled for the victory. Getachew was able to pull away with 200 meters to go and win in 1:06:05, four seconds ahead of Kelati.

“I am a track athlete, and I used my kick to finish here,” said Getachew who has the under-20 world record for 5,000m. ”As far as my future, I think I will train and work harder and run better.”

Kelati’s time of 1:06:09 lowered her American record by 16 seconds. It’s the fourth consecutive year that the women’s American half marathon record has been set here.

“I was just going for it. I knew I was in really good shape. I wasn’t going to let the weather slow me down,” said Kelati who said after the race that she battled more than just the cold and wind today. “However, I felt uncomfortable throughout the race because I had an upset stomach, and I just ran as hard as I could.”

History of another kind was made in the Chevron Houston Marathon men’s race where Haimro Aleme became the first winner from Israel in event history. Aleme was part of a pack of 10 men who ran together through 20 miles before he made a decisive move at mile 21. With a 4:35 mile, Aleme closed the door on everyone but Eritrean Olympian Yemane Haileslasse and Shadrick Kimining of Kenya. Aleme waited patiently until less than a thousand meters to go before moving to the front and sprinting to the finish.

“Around 21 miles, I knew I could win,” said Aleme whose winning time was 2:08:17. “It was very tough competition, but I was very careful to not lead too soon.”

In just his second marathon, Brigham Young alum Christian Allen was the top American finisher. His seventh place finish in 2:10:32 was a four-and-a-half minute personal best and the fastest time ever run here by an American man.

“I have a great support crew,” said Allen, who trains with Mantz and Olympic Marathoner Clayton Young. “I get to try and hold onto them in workouts. So if you can go half as fast as those two studs you can probably run a decent marathon.”

The women’s marathon thinned out much earlier with Ethiopia’s Kumeshi Sichala pulling away shortly after halfway. Relying on two male pacers to block the wind, Sichala increased her speed throughout the second half of the race to win in 2:20:54, the fourth fastest time in race history and more than two minutes ahead of second place.

“I wanted to improve my personal best and win and I am very grateful I was able to do both,” said Sichala whose last marathon victory came in 2019. “Out of all the great places I have run in the world, this one is special.”

More than USD 190,000 in prize money is awarded to the top finishers of the Chevron Houston Marathon and USD 70,000 is awarded for the top finishers in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.