Aramco Houston Half Marathon to host USA Half Marathon Championships

HOUSTON – The 42nd edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend features stacked fields in both the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, which plays host to the USA Half Marathon Championships.

“Our Elite Athlete Committee has done its homework, as always, to produce a field that has the potential to rewrite our race record book,” said Chevron Houston Marathon Race Director Brant Kotch. “A number of top finishers from last year’s weather-challenged races will get another chance to show us their best, but they will have to prove their fitness against some talented newcomers. The four deep fields should be propelled to some great times on our new and even faster course.”

Defending champion Bazu Worku of Ethiopia, who set a personal best 2:05:25 when he finished third at the 2010 Paris Marathon, leads the field in the men’s Chevron Houston Marathon. Out to challenge him on race day will be 2012 Chevron Houston Marathon runner-up Debebe Tolossa. Ethiopians Dadi Yami and Gebretsadik Adhana, who have run sub 2:06 and 2:07 respectively, and Getachew Negari Terfa will also be in the field.

2013 Chevron Houston Marathon third-place finisher Meskerem Assefa of Ethiopia returns to Houston hoping to improve upon her personal best 2:25:17 that she set here last year. Ethiopian Abebech Afework Bekele is the fastest woman in the field with a personal best of 2:23:59 from her runner-up finish at the 2013 Rotterdam Marathon. She ran three sub 2:29 marathons in 2013. Yeshimebet Bifa, who ran a personal best 2:26:17 when she finished third in Seoul this year, is also entered. Kenya’s Sarah Kiptoo, who ran five half marathons and four marathons in 2013 – setting personal bests in each, should challenge for the lead. Also watch for 2012 World Indoor 3,000m bronze medalist Gelete Burka, who will be running her second-ever marathon.

“We’re equally excited about the return of the USA Half Marathon Championships, where the American athletes have given us a big vote of confidence by turning out in numbers that far exceed our previous experience with the Championships from 2005 through 2011,” said Kotch. “Again, the key word is “deep” – sprint finishes could easily be the order of the day.”

Four of the top five finishers from the 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships will toe the line in Houston. 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon champion and London Games fourth-place finisher Meb Keflezighi returns to Houston looking to win his second national half marathon title. The 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist, Keflezighi first won in Houston in 2009 and finished as the runner-up in 2013. Shadrack Biwott and Josphat Boit, both newly minted American citizens who finished third and fifth respectively, are also in the field. Also watch for Tim Ritchie, who placed fourth at the 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships, and Luke Puskedra, who set a personal best 1:01:36 with his fourth-place finish in the 2013 Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

2013 USA Half Marathon champion Adriana Nelson leads the women’s field and will be challenged by  Serena Burla, who will be looking to improve on her two runner-up finishes at these Championships in Houston in 2010 and 2011. Steeplechaser Sara Hall, who debuted at the half marathon distance in October with a win at the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon, should be in the mix. 2012 Olympic 10,000m runner Lisa Uhl, who set her personal best 1:13:28 with her sixth-place finish at the 2013 Aramco Houston Half Marathon, and Renee Baillie, who last ran a half marathon when she finished fourth at the 2010 USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston, are also entered.

Women’s Marathon
Abebech Bekele (ETH)
Meskerem Assefa (ETH)
Tatyana Aryasova (RUS)
Yeshimebet Bifa (ETH)
Sarah Kiptoo (KEN)
Makda Haji (ETH)
Gelete Burka (ETH)
Seada Kedir (ETH)
Tanith Maxwell (RSA)
Zsofia Erdelyi (HUN)
Jill Horst (USA)
Adriania Domvrou (GRE)

Men’s Marathon
Bazu Worku (ETH)
Dadi Yami (ETH)
Gebretsadik Adhana (ETH)
Getachew Terfa (ETH)
Debebe Tolossa (ETH)
Dominic Ondoro (KEN)
Solomon Tsige (ETH)
Patrick Rizzo (USA)
Scott Wietecha (USA)
Solomon Tsige (ETH)
Desta Gebrehiwet (ETH)
Solomon Deksisa (ETH)
Ahmed Nasef (MOR)
Lamech Mokono (KEN)
Nikolay Chavkin (RUS)
David Tuwei (KEN)
Senbeto Geneti (ETH)
Ian Burrell (USA)
Luke Humphrey (USA)
Stephen Dinneen (AUS)
Benjamin Ashkettle (NZL)
Adam MacDowell (USA)
Tim Young (USA)
Lucas McAneney (CAN)
Nate Pennington (USA)
Jared Abuya (USA)
Cheyne Inman (USA)
Antonios Papadimitriou (GRE)

Women’s Half Marathon
Adriana Nelson
Serena Burla
Kelly Brinkman
Renee Baillie
Mattie Suver
Clara Santucci
Dot McMahan
Tera Moody
Alisha Williams
Jennifer Bergman
Sara Hall
Meaghan Nelson
Wendy Thomas
Katie McGregor
Michelle Lilienthal
Lisa Uhl
Allison Mendez
Rebecca Donaghue
Addie Bracy
Melissa Johnson-White
Kara Lubieniecki
Alia Grat
Lauren Jimison
Stephanie Price
Nicole Camp
Allison Morgan
Semehar Tesfaye
Caitlin Comfort
Leah Thorvilson
Lindsey Scherf
Meghan Peyton
Katja Goldring
Sarah Cummings
Dani Stack
Dani Fischer
Stephanie Dinius
Lauren Kleppin
Katie DiCamillo
Dawn Grunnagle
Joanna Zeiger
Jenna Boren DeNucci
Whitney Bevins-Lazzara
Kris Vegh
Rachel Gioscia
Elizabeth Herndon
Ariana Hilborn
Lauren Philbrook
Priscilla Schultz
Sara Howe
Samanth Draney
Shannon Miller
Elizabeth Eder
Megan Rolland
Jane Vongvorachoti
Nuta Olaru
Renee High
Amanda Scott
Emily Daum
Liz Camy
Sarah Broyles
Nicole Mericle
Brooke Kish
Danya Crawford
Elizabeth Yetzer
Obsie Birru
Elizabeth Young
Lisa Baumert
Shannon Kinney
Marianne Falk

Men’s Half Marathon
Meb Keflezighi
Shadrack Biwott
Tim Ritchie
Josphat Boit
Luke Puskedra
Aaron Braun
Fernando Cabada
Tyler McCandless
Sergio Reyes
Craig Leon
Jonathan Grey
Michael Renau
Ahmed Osman
Daniel Tapia
Ben Bruce
Joe Moore
Dan Kremske
Nathan Martin
Joseph Gray
Tyler Pennel
Scott MacPherson
Gabriel Proctor
Elliott Krause
Enoch Nadler
Matthew Llano
Jeremy Criscione
Craig Curley
Sean Brown
John Coyle
Rory Tunningley
Riley Cook
Jess Armijo
Ryan Cosens
Sean Quigley
Cole Atkins
Ryan Kienzle
Rio Reina
Thomas Dialynas
David Fuentes
Anthony Solis
Tibor Vegh
Mitchell Hunt
Seth Proctor
Gregory Leak
Dan Greeno
Daniel Kerr
Josh Whitehead
Brandon Dworak
Diego Mercado
Jonathan Mott
Ben Payne
Verrelle Wyatt
Brandon Birdsong
Kieran O’Connor
Javier Ceja
Brent Martin
Chass Armstrong
Tim Jeffreys
Jared Carson
Eric Ashe
Luka Thor
Logan Sherman
Christopher Sloane
Brian Finnel
Aaron Davidson
Travis Boyd
Matt Barrett
Jake Marotz
Benjamin Sathre
Jason Holt
Tyler Sewald
Matthew Grey
Jeremy Freed
Daniel Kahn
Connor Kamm
Jose Munoz
Justin Taylor
Karl Siebach
Robert Wiley
Josh Carson
Matthew Williams