News12 Jan 2010


Erkesso returns to Houston

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Teyba Erkesso en route to her 2:24:18 victory in Houston in 2009 (© Victah Sailer)

Houston, USA   2009 winner and course record holder Teyba Erkesso returns to defend her crown this Sunday (17) in Houston, as a record 22,000 runners compete in the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon. 

Erkesso running her debut marathon in Houston a year ago, crossed the finish line in 2:24:18. Her blistering pace of 5:30 per mile clipped 22 seconds off the course record previously held by fellow Ethiopian Dire Tune. The time is the fastest marathon ever run in Texas by a female.

Joining Erkesso on the starting line are American Paige Higgins, Tara Quinn-Smithof Canada and Kenya's Lydia Kurgat. Rounding out the top five is Margarita Plaksina of Russia, who won the 2009 Helsinki City Marathon.   

Kenyans are the top bets in the men's marathon. Jason Mbote, who ran 2:07:37 at the 2008 Seoul International Marathon, and Charles Kibiwott, who clocked 2:08:30 at the same race in Seoul. 

American Brett Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz), third in the 2009 USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston, returns to the Space City for his marathon debut.
 
US Champs  

For the fourth consecutive year, the Aramco Houston Half Marathon is hosting the USA Women's Half Marathon Championships, and 2009 champion Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) is returning to defend her title which she won last year in 1:11:47.

Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.), who took bronze in the 10,000m at the 2008 Olympics, is making her half marathon debut  while the 2004 winner of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, Colo.). De Reuck holds the course record from that race, which she won in 1:10:55.

Organisers for the IAAF

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