Kelkile Gezahegn retired late in a two-man race from compatriot Bonsa Dida and gained the Chevron Houston Marathon with a time of two:08:36 on Sunday morning. This made him the eighth Ethiopian man since 2009 to prevail.
On his first begin in Houston, 23-year-old runner Albert Korir of Kenya adopted on the rostrum however nowhere close to threatened Tariku Jufar’s Houston course document of two:06:51 in 2012 with a chilly, clear and stormy consequence tomorrow.
“The wind was very sturdy as we speak, however successful wasn’t an issue,” stated Gezahegn. “I used to be in management. I knew I used to be going to win. I pushed the pacemakers to go sooner. “
Ethiopia’s dominance of ladies is much more spectacular: the victories in Houston return to 2007 yearly. Askale Merachi’s triumph on her Houston debut, claimed with a time of two:23:29, made her the tenth Ethiopian to triumph since 2007.
Although 33-year-old Merachi slowed steeply within the closing phases and missed the prospect to set a course document by 16 seconds, she thwarted Birukayit Degefa’s try and grow to be the primary four-time Houston champion.
Degefa was additionally searching for a 3 repetition and ran a 2:24:47, good for second place. She has stood on the rostrum six years in a row after ending fourth on her debut in 2014.
Merachi appeared just like the strongest lady from the beginning, and it was. The wind proved a big impediment and certain prevented her from reducing the course document, however she struggled by way of.
“I completed how I began,” she stated by way of a translator. “My aim is one, simply to win.”
She admitted that she knew what Gedefa was making an attempt to attain – two Kenyan males, David Cheruiyot (2005-06, 2008) and Stephen Ndungu (1998-2000), are the one different three-time Houston Masters – however stated, “Me simply did my half. “
Kelkile Woldaregay Gezahegn breaks the ribbon and wins the forty eighth run of the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday, January 19, 2020 in Houston.
Brett Coomer / Workers Photographer
Michael Roeger was the primary runner to set an official world document on the 42 km lengthy course in Houston. No Paralympian had damaged earlier than his 2:19:32 2:20, which lowered his private finest – the earlier world document – of two:22:51. The 31-year-old Australian, who stated Friday he ran to honor the exhausted firefighters who’ve had catastrophic flames spiraling uncontrolled for weeks, was born with out the decrease half of his proper arm.
Gezahegn’s tempo by no means threatened the two:06:51 course document set by Ethiopian Tariku Jufar in 2012. However he positioned himself to have a minimum of one shot to run for Ethiopia on the Tokyo Olympics this summer time.
“If my supervisor will ship me,” he stated.
The day was historic in that it was the primary time World Athletics Gold Label marathons and half marathons had been held in the identical location on the identical day. Houston’s marathon went gold for the primary time this yr. It’s acknowledged for the way effectively the race organizers handle the contributors and handle the difficult logistics.