US HALF-MARATHON RECORDS THREAT SUNDAY NEWS IN HOUSTON.
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly All rights reserved, used by permission.
HOUSTON (18-Jan) — Ryan Hall’s USATF half-marathon record of 59:43 was set here at the 2007 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon, and despite the 2016 introduction of “super shoes” that use carbon plates for propulsion. runners ahead, Hall’s record has yet to be broken.Hall, now 42, that mark placed as a 24-year-old in his half-marathon debut.
“My plan was just to see how I felt,” Hall told Race Results Weekly that day. “I was just going to race as fast as I could keep up.”
America’s best road runners of the last decade — Dathan Ritzenhein, Galen Rapp, Leonard Korir and Hillary Bohr — fell short of the record, giving the Hall’s legendary status, but a new group of athletes is ready to try on the streets of Houston on Sunday, including Olympians Conner Mantz, Joe Klecker and Morgan Pearson.To them, Hall’s record is undoubtedly the most important.
“There were a lot of races to choose from, but Houston was always the most exciting for me,” Klecker, who is coached by 2009 World Half Marathon bronze medalist Dathan Ritzenhein, said at a news conference yesterday. wants to run fast. “I’ve seen the field and there are 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, it’s possible I think it shows that it’s a real goal.”
Klecker trained in the medley relay with Olympic silver medalist Pearson, 31, who ran a 1:01:08 half marathon in Valencia last October, a week after completing her triathlon season in Malaga 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. “After Valencia, I’m hoping to improve my time.”
Mantz, 28, the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon champion who won the 2021 USATF Half Marathon Championships in a personal best of 1:00:55, was motivated to run here based in part on the strength of the field with an eighth-place finish in the Olympic Marathon and a sixth-place showing at TCS New York City In the marathon, his time of 2:09:00 in New York was the fastest by an American on the grueling New York trip.
“A lot is possible in this elite field,” Mantz said. and you have Morgan and Joe and a lot of other elite Americans running here. I want to be in that race whether I’m ready or not.”
Other top Americans include Olympians Clayton Young (1:01:18 PB) and Hilary Bohr (1:01:20), Diego Estrada (1:00:49), Frank Lara (1:01:00) and Futsum Zienasellassie. (1:01:21): The fastest international athletes were Ethiopian Jemal Yimer (58:33 PB), Gabriel Gay (59:42), Tanzania (59:42), Abe Gashahun (59:46) and Wesley Kipto (1:00:43) won the race twice.
Not to be overlooked is the possibility of a US record on the women’s side.Vaini Kelati came into this race last year and set a national record of 1:06:25.She is back this year and ready to run fast.
“It was my first half marathon last year and I didn’t know how it was going to go,” said Kelati, whose last race was a 4:29 road mile in Hawaii in December. “I’m really excited and we’ll see how well I can compete because training has been really, really good. And I’m just excited to be here.”
Amanda Vestry, who ran 1:08:12 in her half-marathon debut in Orlando last month, is also running here but doesn’t expect to challenge Kelati, she said.Other top Americans include Natosha Rogers (1:09:36 PB), Lindsey Flanagan (1:09:37), Lauren Hagens (1:09:41) and Suzanne Sullivan (1:09:42) The fastest international women are Ethiopia’s Bouze Diriba (1:06:24) and Britain’s Jessica Warner-Judd (1:07:07).
Cold and windy conditions are expected here on Sunday, which could slow down the race. Temperatures should be around 35F/2C by early 6:45am.
The Aramco Houston Half-Marathon is a World Athletics Gold Label road race. Race winners will receive $15,000 in prize money, with course records (59:22 for men and 1:04:37 respectively) worth $15,000. American record holders can earn $10,000 earn a bonus.
“I don’t really know what’s possible,” Mantz said. “It’s a blast to compete.”
