Did you know that for the past three years, a Houston Marathon winner has won the Boston Marathon in the same year? Let’s break it down.

Defending Houston Marathon champion and course record holder Dire Tune broke her 2007 record by a staggering two minutes, 12 seconds for back-to-back Houston Marathon victories with a time of 2:24:40.

In the closest finish in the history of the Boston Marathon’s women’s race, Tune outkicked Alevtina Biktimirova in the last 100 yards to win the Boston Marathon by a mere two seconds.

Ethiopian Deriba Merga shattered the 20-year-old Houston Marathon course record by more than two minutes. After mile 17, Merga ran alone to cross the finish line in 2:07:52, beating the competition by nearly four minutes.

Merga went on to win the Boston Marathon that same year in 2:08:42, almost a full minute ahead of the second and third place finishers.

Ethiopian Teyba Erkesso returned to Houston to defend her title and course record and she did just that and more. Erkesso crossed the finish line and set a new course record, shaving 25 seconds off her previous record in a time of 2:23:53. She crushed her competition by nearly five minutes and her time remains the fastest female marathon run in Texas.

Three months later, Erkesso won the 2010 Boston Marathon in a close finish and pushed ahead of her competition by a mere three seconds to win the title in 2:26:11.

Will the streak continue in 2011? Defending Houston Marathon winner Bekana Daba is a top contender in the 2011 Boston Marathon elite field. In only his second marathon this past January in Houston, the 22-year-old Ethiopian posted a personal best, and course and state record with a time of 2:07:04. He’ll face past and present marathon winners from 12 prestigious races worldwide.

Erkesso also returns to Boston this weekend to defend her title against Tune and the deepest women’s elite field ever in Boston Marathon history. In the past three years, the Boston Marathon women’s champion has been decided by three seconds or less, and 2011 is sure to be another exciting, highly competitive race.

Some of the HMC staff will be traveling to Boston this weekend to catch all the action so be sure to check out Facebook and Twitter for live updates! You can also watch the 2011 Boston Marathon live on Universal Sports and online at www.UniversalSports.com.

Good luck to everyone running in the 115th Boston Marathon!

Are you running in the Boston Marathon this weekend or have you qualified for the historic race at the Houston Marathon?