2025 Houston Half Marathon Preview: Will the American Records Fall?

Could this be the year Ryan Hall's 59:43 finally goes down?

The 2025 Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday could be a classic as both the men’s and women’s American records in the half marathon are under threat.  Could this finally be the year that Ryan Hall’s 59:43 American record set in Houston in 2007 goes down?

More: 59:43 Revisited: How Ryan Hall Did It, and Why His American Record Has Stood So Long

The men’s race is loaded with American talent: 2024 marathon Olympians Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, 2021 10k Olympian Joe Klecker, and two-time steeple Olympian Hillary Bor, along with Zach Panning and Olympic triathlon medalist/61:08 half marathoner Morgan Pearson.

The women’s American record has gone down in Houston three consecutive years, most recently with Weini Kelati lowering the mark to 66:25 in 2024. Kelati returns this year and will be attempting to break her own record and become the first US woman to win the Houston Half since 2015.

LRC 59:43 Revisited: How Ryan Hall Did It, and Why His American Record Has Stood So Long

Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s races.

What: 2025 Chevron Houston Marathon & Aramco Houston Half Marathon
When: Sunday, January 19, 7:45 a.m. ET
Where: Houston, Texas
How to watch: Stream the races live starting at 7:45 a.m. ET Sunday on ABC13

*Full elite fields

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The American men

Here’s a closer look at the US men, ranked from most to least likely to finish as top American on Sunday:

Conner Mantz, 28 years old, 27:25/60:55/2:07:47 pbs

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Mantz established himself as the country’s top marathoner in 2024 by winning the Olympic Trials and finishing as top American at the Olympics and New York. Three marathons in one year is a heavy workload for some, but Mantz bounces back quickly from races and is rarely out of shape.

Mantz logged one of his biggest weeks ever, 125 miles, in the final week of 2024, but his Strava for the following week revealed as many days of running (2) as sauna sessions. Cue panic among American distance fans.

Mantz’s coach Ed Eyestone confirmed to LetsRun.com that he missed a few running workouts in January due to a strained quad. But he also said that Mantz cross-trained like an animal in the meantime. Eyestone had Mantz run a workout last week and told him that unless he looked awesome, he might want to consider running a different half this winter. But Mantz looked great, so Houston it is.

“Conner is probably the most resilient athlete I’ve ever worked with,” said Eyestone, noting Mantz also missed time during his buildup ahead of the Olympic Trials last year. “…We went from going, Well should we really even run Houston? to going, Hmm, yeah, he looks really good. If anything, maybe his aerobic fitness has improved.”

Mantz ran 61:12 in his last trip to Houston two years ago. He has certainly improved as a runner since then. The question is, by how much?

Joe Klecker, 28 years old, 12:54/27:07 pbs (half debut)

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One reason Ryan Hall’s American record has stood for so long is that most top Americans either focus on the track or the marathon; few tailor a training block around a half. Klecker is a top American — he has made three US teams in the 10,000 and his 27:07 pb ranks #8 on the all-time US list — and after missing the Olympic Trials last summer due to a torn adductor, he needed a race to target once he returned to full volume in September. He has been locked in on Houston over the last 12 weeks.

Klecker’s coach Dathan Ritzenhein said they gave some thought to having Klecker transition to the roads earlier in his career, but he was running so well on the track that they chose not to. Now, at 28, Klecker is finally beginning that process, though he will try to make one more Worlds team on the track in Tokyo this year.

Ritzenhein believes the half marathon draws on a skillset more similar to the 10k than the marathon, which is why he is excited to see Klecker make the move up.

“He’s been training as much as ever, he’s been running faster than ever on all his long stuff,” Ritzenhein said. “You never know how someone is going to transition to the marathon, but I feel really confident that the half marathon, he’s going to run amazing.”

Clayton Young, 31 years old, 28:18/61:18/2:08:00 pbs

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When Conner Mantz is in a race, chances are Clayton Young is not far behind. But he is usually behind. Young finished 13 seconds behind Mantz at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, one second behind at the 2024 Olympic Trials (though Young essentially let Mantz win), 32 seconds behind at the Olympics, and 21 seconds behind at the NYC Marathon. As marathoners, they are very close.

This is a half, which would usually tilt the scales further towards Mantz, who has finished 6th at the last two US 10,000m champs on the track and beat Young by 54 seconds in a 10-miler on the roads last fall. But Young has had the healthier leadup to the race, so expect the two to be very close again on Sunday.

“I don’t think there will be much separation,” said Eyestone, who also coaches Young. “I think it’s a combination of the fact that there was a little hiccup [for Conner] and Clayton has been training very hard.”

Diego Estrada, 35 years old, 27:30/60:49/2:11:54 pbs

Estrada revived his career last year under Swedish coach Janne Bengtsson by running 60:49 in Houston and winning the US 25k title in May.

Morgan Pearson, 31 years old, 61:08 pb

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Pearson finished 31st in the Olympic triathlon last summer and added a silver medal in the mixed relay, but he remains a very strong runner, which he showed last year by placing 4th at the US cross country champs and running 61:08 at the Valencia Half in October — the #3 time by an American in 2024. Pearson has hopped in workouts with the On Athletics Club’s Klecker and Morgan McDonald (also running Houston) and Ritzenhein said he came away “amazed” by Pearson’s performances.

“I don’t even know if he runs 50% of the volume of our guys, but when he runs, he runs hard and he’s got a big engine,” Ritzenhein said. “He’s been able to do some pretty impressive workouts…it wouldn’t surprise me if he breaks 60:00. Other than one really big, hard workout, he’s been with Morgan and Joe every major workout and he’s been able to handle them all.”

Hillary Bor, 35 years old, 27:38/61:20 pbs

After a decorated steeplechase career that included three straight US titles, Bor is now focused on the roads and has already taken one stab at the American record in the half — he was on 60:00 pace through 15k in Valencia last fall before fading to 61:20 at the finish. Bor has always had good endurance, winning the US 15k title in 2023 and setting an American record of 45:56 for 10 miles last year. Does he have a couple more strong years in him on the roads before age catches up to him?

Zach Panning, 29 years old, 27:51/62:48/2:09:16 pbs

Given his pbs in the 10k and marathon, Panning is clearly capable of faster than 62:48 in the half, a time he ran in Philadelphia last fall as he was tuning up for the Chicago Marathon. Panning is running Boston this spring, which means he can afford to focus a bit more on running fast in Houston, and he should have the competition to push him to a nice pb.

Sam Chelanga, 39 years old, 27:08/60:37/2:08:50 pbs

Chelanga only ran 63:43 in Houston last year, but he finished 7th in the 10,000 at the US Olympic Trials (just one place behind Mantz) and ran 62:13 at a half marathon in Orlando on December 7.

What are the chances of an American record?

The US men’s field in Houston this year is as strong as it has been for some time. But running an American record requires more than just fast runners. Two things make a record attempt much easier: good weather and good pacing. Here’s what we’re looking at in Houston.

  • Weather: Mid-to-high 30s in the forecast on Sunday, with 8-13 mph winds. That’s not great. It’s on the chilly side and will feel colder with the wind, which is the bigger issue. Miles 9-11 of the course run south to north, directly into the wind. The pacer will likely be gone by that point, so there will be a great temptation to back off the pace and save something for the final mile, particularly if there are multiple guys still battling for the win.
  • Pacer: The current plan is for Kenya’s Amon Kemboi of Puma Elite to take a group through 10k on 59:30 pace. Kemboi (13:06 5k pb) has mostly focused on the 1500 the last few years, but he has a strength background as he finished in the top 12 at NCAA XC four times from 2018-21.

Then there is this stat: guess how many times the winning time in Houston has been faster than Hall’s 59:43 from 2007?

The answer: two. Feyisa Lilesa ran 59:22 in 2012, and Jemal Yimer ran 59:25 in 2020. Other than those two and Ryan Hall, no other winner in Houston has broken 60:00. Yimer won again last year, but his winning time was just 60:42 even though he ran 59:04, 58:38, and 59:22 in his three previous half marathons.

Houston is not a slow course — again, the women’s American record has gone down there three years in a row. But the idea that the men’s AR is bound to fall just because a bunch of the top Americans are showing up this year is folly. To run fast in Houston, you have to be very committed to the time.

Klecker took down Grant Fisher to win the US title in 2022 (Kevin Morris photo)

Ritzenhein told LetsRun that he wants Klecker to race for the win and that he is not going to measure success by whether or not Klecker gets the AR.

“If he races and he runs 60:00 and he wins the race, that’s going to be great,” Ritzenhein said. “I know that he can go for the pace and I feel confident if the race is set up, he can have a good chance for it…But I’m not going to tell him to push for the record, either. I’m just going to say let’s get in and race.”

Eyestone believes there are four or five Americans right now capable of breaking the American record, some of whom are in Houston. But he feels less confident that the record will be broken on Sunday than he did a few weeks ago. Mantz is not one to shy away from pushing the pace, but may be less inclined to do so given his recent injury.

“It depends on how the race plays out,” Eyestone said. “Without the latest hiccup, then yeah, I’d say I’d be surprised if it didn’t go down. Now I think it’s going to be a bigger challenge.”

Yimer is back trying for a third title in 2025 and his agent Malcolm Anderson told LetsRun that he wants to break Lilesa’s 59:22 course record. HOKA NAZ Elite’s Wesley Kiptoo, the runner-up in 2023 and 2024, and Gabriel Geay (2:03:00 marathon pb) are also in the field, so there are plenty of guys capable of running fast. Maybe one of them goes for it and drags an American to a fast time. But don’t count on it.

JG prediction: The talent is there to break Hall’s record, but talent alone is not enough. Given the windy forecast, someone is going to have to step up and push the pace in the final miles if we are to see a sub-60:00/American record. I don’t see it. I’ll predict Yimer for the win in 60:07 and Mantz as top American in 60:31.

Who will be the top American man at the 2025 Houston Half?

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Will Ryan Hall's 59:43 American record be broken at the 2025 Houston Half?

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Kelati seeks first American women’s victory since 2015

There is a better chance of an American record on the women’s side as the AR holder Weini Kelati is back following a career year in 2024. Kelati set pbs in the 5,000 (14:35), 10,000 (30:33), and half (66:25 in her debut in Houston), won US titles in cross country and the 10,000 meters, and finished 8th in the Olympic 10,000 in her first global championships on the track.

Kelati set the AR in Houston last year (Kevin Morris photo)

Kelati’s coach Stephen Haas said they have not changed much in her preparation for the 2025 season. They have added a few more 18-mile long runs to the program, and her volume in workouts is slightly longer. Last year, she would typically max out at nine miles of work in a session, but already she has done two sessions of 11 miles this season.

Kelati will have a similar setup to last year’s race with her personal pacer Abrham Tesfamariam traveling with her to Houston. The difference is, Kelati should be competing for the win in 2025. Last year, Sutume Kebede left the rest of the field in the dust, but this year, Kelati’s 66:25 pb ranks her just behind top seed Buze Diriba of Ethiopia, the 4th placer at the Boston and Chicago marathons last year who set her 66:24 pb by edging out Kelati in Houston in 2024.

Haas believes Kelati is in shape to run 5:00/mile for the half, which translates to 65:32 for the full distance, but they may have to adjust that time given the chilly forecast on Sunday. After Houston, Kelati will run the US half marathon championships in Atlanta on March 2 and The TEN on March 29 with the aim of representing the US at the World Championships and World Road Running Championships in September in San Diego. Haas believes Kelati’s greatest potential lies in the marathon, but he still does not think she is quite ready to make the leap to 26.2 yet.

“There are still some steps to take along the way and I just want to make sure she’s really prepared to go out and run a very high level marathon,” Haas said. “It’s the same thing Sharon [Lokedi] did when she joined the team. It took us a couple years, but I felt that when she did make the transition, she was very ready and capable to be at a pretty high level (Lokedi won her marathon debut in New York in 2022). I want to do the same thing with Weini.”

Diriba and Kenya’s Diana Chepkorir (29:56 10k pb on the roads) figure to be Kelati’s top competition in Houston. In terms of Americans, 25-year-old Amanda Vestri will be one to watch after running 68:12 in her debut half in December, while Natosha Rogers (14:52/30:48/69:36 pbs) and Susanna Sullivan (2:21:56 marathon pb, top American in Chicago last year) are also entered.

JG prediction: This is a tough one. I know Kelati is in good shape right now, but the 22-year-old Chepkorir ran 29:56 and 30:12 on the roads last year for 10k, which is a good deal faster than Kelati has ever run. If I knew Chepkorir was in that kind of shape right now, I’d pick her for the win. Is she that fit right now? I’ll guess she’s close enough and say she beats Kelati narrowly with a winning time of 66:27.

Will Weini Kelati break her 66:25 American record at the 2025 Houston Half?

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Will Weini Kelati win the 2025 Houston Half?

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