RECORDS, AND WILD FINISHES HIGHLIGHT CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON AND ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF-MARATHON

RECORDS AND WILD FINISHES HIGHLIGHT CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON AND ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF-MARATHON
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2023 Race Outcomes Weekly, all rights reserved

HOUSTON (15-Jan) — At this time’s Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half-Marathon right here this morning produced two thrilling dash finishes, a close to report within the ladies’s marathon, and an American report within the ladies’s half-marathon. All of it occurred in warmish circumstances, some 25 levels Fahrenheit hotter than final yr, with a full subject of 27,000 runners between each races.

SISSON LOWERS USA HALF-MARATHON RECORD

Emily Sisson of Flagstaff, Ariz., mentioned previous to the race that her purpose right here was to compete for the win, and he or she hoped a quick time would observe from that technique. Though she was by no means in a position to stick with Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidan Gebremaryam –who leaped to the lead proper from the gun and soloed to a 1:06:28 win– she did get the quick time she hoped for. Going out slightly sizzling for the primary 5 kilometers (15:31) she tempered her pace by 10 km (31:19) and received right into a groove. At that time, she was on tempo for a 1:06:04 end, properly below her USATF report of 1:07:11 set final Could in Indianapolis.

However within the second half, she slowed as that early tempo started to take its toll.

“I went out slightly too quick the primary 5-Ok or so, so the previous couple of miles I used to be actually feeling it,” Sisson mentioned in her post-race tv interview.

Forward of her Gebrekidan was additionally slowing, and by the point Sisson received into the ultimate 800m she was inside 30 seconds of her rival. Having the race chief in sight helped her summon some additional power to push, and he or she was in a position to dash house in 1:06:52, 19 seconds below her report.

“I’m actually enthusiastic about it,” Sisson mentioned, wrapped in an American flag. “I actually needed to interrupt 67 minutes, so I’m glad I did it.” She added: “It was such a terrific ambiance on the market right this moment. I used to be hurting the previous couple of miles however the crowd was nice.”

Jessica Warner-Judd of Nice Britain completed third in a private finest 1:07:19, and again in ninth place 2011 world 1500m champion Jenny Simpson certified for the 2024 USA Olympic Trials Marathon (sub-1:12:00) by working 1:10:35 in her half-marathon debut.

“Not fairly setting the world on hearth… but,” she joked in a textual content message to Race Outcomes Weekly. “Stronger than my racing within the fall, in order that’s good.”

Within the males’s half-marathon, no data had been set, however there was a wild end. Kenya’s Wesley Kiptoo and Ethiopia’s Leul Gebrselassie traded surges within the remaining phases of the race, setting them up for a two-up dash within the remaining 400m. Kiptoo had the sting many of the manner and tried to squeeze Gebrselassie in direction of the boundaries to restrict his possibilities of getting by. It regarded like Kiptoo would get the win, however Gebrselassie made one remaining surge within the final 20 meters and slipped previous the previous All-American from Iowa State on his left simply earlier than the road. Gebrselassie received the win in 1:00:34 to Kiptoo’s 1:00:35.

“I’m glad right this moment for the winner of the Houston Half-Marathon,” Gebrselassie mentioned in English in his post-race broadcast interview. “Very very glad.”

Mohamed El Aaraby of Morocco received third in 1:00:58, and Alberto Gonzalez Mindez of Guatemala received fourth in a nationwide report 1:01:03. The highest American was 2021 USA half-marathon champion Conner Mantz who completed sixth in 1:01:12 after main for many of the first half of the race.

NIIYA NEARLY GETS JAPANESE MARATHON RECORD

Operating in solely her second marathon, Japan’s Hitomi Niiya took a giant swing right this moment at Mizuki Noguchi’s vaunted nationwide report of two:19:12 which additionally occurs to be the Chevron Houston Marathon course report. Operating with certainly one of her male coaching companions as a pacemaker, Ryotaro Nitta, she ignored the way-too-fast begin by Ethiopia’s Muliye Dekebo Haylemariyam, who blitzed by the primary 5 km in 16:04, on tempo for a 2:15:35 end. Niiya was again at 16:25 and sticking together with her plan.

It could take till the midway mark for Niiya and her pacer to catch as much as Dekebo, and the three athletes ran collectively by 25 km (1:22:00). It was then that Dekebo, harm by the quick early tempo, was pressured to sluggish manner down. She must accept second in a private finest 2:25:35.

Niiya continued to forge forward, however her tempo was slipping. From 25 to 30 km, she cut up 16:29, however over the following two 5-Ok segments she slipped to 16:45 and 16:42, respectively. On the 40-Ok mark (2:11:56) her projected end was 2:19:10, simply two seconds below the report.

“It is a ‘you versus you’ second,” mentioned 2018 Boston Marathon ladies’s champion Des Linden on the race broadcast as she watched Niiya attempt to squeeze out each second within the final 800 meters.

Sadly, the report slipped away within the final two kilometers. Niiya crossed the end line in 2:19:24, nonetheless the quickest time ever by a Japanese girl not achieved on the BMW Berlin Marathon. She was visibly upset on the end line, however her temper picked up by the point she was offered with the winner’s cowboy hat which introduced a broad smile to her face.

“Total a cheerful feeling,” she mentioned by a translator. Harkening again to 2020 when she broke the Japanese half-marathon report right here (1:06:38) she added: “It’s nice to be again. Operating in Houston this yr, it felt extra relaxed.”

Rounding out the highest 4 was Ethiopia’s Sintayehu Lewetegn in third (2:26:33) and North Carolina’s Tristin van Ord in fourth (2:27:07). van Ord broke her earlier private finest by greater than two minutes however fell 17 seconds in need of a 2024 Olympic Video games qualifier (2:26:50).

Like the lads’s half-marathon, the lads’s marathon additionally got here all the way down to a two-man dash end. Dominic Ondoro of Kenya and Tsedat Ayana of Ethiopia had dropped newly-naturalized American Teshome Mekonen simply previous the 40 km mark and had been sizing one another up for the ultimate dash. Ondoro, a full foot taller than Ayana, had gained right here in Houston in 2017 and was aware of the course’s distinctive proper hand flip simply earlier than the end line which makes the ultimate dash arduous to guage.

With 400 meters to go, Ayana received in entrance of Ondoro and began working full tilt. Ondoro grimaced and it regarded like he was going to need to let Ayana go, however as an alternative stayed shut and waited for the final 20 meters to attempt to surge previous Ayana on the Ethiopian’s left. Ayana was so exhausted that he started to lose his steadiness, windmilling his arms in order to not fall ahead. He misplaced his momentum proper earlier than the tape, and Ondoro received previous him to get his second win right here by only one second.

“I used to be glad,” mentioned Ondoro, who didn’t look all that drained. He added: “I like Houston as a result of the course is flat, flat and quick. The climate was good (and) I’m feeling properly.”

Ondoro was clocked in at 2:10:36 to Ayana’s 2:10:37. Mekonen received third in 2:11:05, and Colorado’s Parker Stinson was fourth in 2:12:11.

Each marathon winners earned $30,000 in prize cash however didn’t win any time bonuses. The half-marathon winners received $10,000 in prize cash, however Sisson really earned extra: she obtained $5,000 in prize cash for second place and $10,000 for a brand new American report.

This yr’s Chevron Houston Marathon was the fiftieth working of the race (the twenty first for the half-marathon). Each races had been World Athletics Gold Label occasions, and organizers estimated that they’d elevate about $2 million for 63 native charities by their Run for a Purpose program.

“This cash goes into this group year-round,” mentioned Houston Marathon Committee govt director Wade Morehead at Friday’s press convention. “It’s an honor for the Houston Marathon to work with them.”