Loaded fields set for 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend

Jan 3, 2013 by FloTrack Staff

Loaded fields set for 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon
Olympians Hall and Keflezighi to be honorary starters; World Record bonus in place

HOUSTON - The 41st edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend features stacked fields in both the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Adding an element of excitement to the weekend will be a $50,000 bonus that will be awarded should the world record fall in the men's half marathon. The gun is set to go off at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 13, 2013.

"Deep fields increase the likelihood of runners working together in packs to achieve better times, and the four fields that our elite committee has assembled are without a doubt the deepest ever," said Brant Kotch, Race Director and President of the HMC Board of Directors. "These fields give us the best possible opportunity to equal last year's feat of four race records in one morning, and to do so with first rate, head-to-head competition. The camera at the finish line may get a lot of use next week."

Ethiopian Bazu Worku, 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. Teferi Balcha, who ran six marathons in 2012 - three of which were sub-2:10 - is also entered. Americans Andrew Carlson and Fernando Cabada will return to Houston for the first time since they finished sixth and seventh at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, respectively. 2010 Chevron Houston Marathon champion Teshome Gelana is also in the field.

The runner-up at the 2011 ING NYC Marathon, Buzunesh Deba was originally set to run in New York in 2012, but will run the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon after the cancellation of that race.Merima Mohammed is the fastest woman in the field with a personal best of 2:23:06 from her third-place finish at the 2010 Toronto Marathon. Tera Moody returns to Houston for the first time since finishing fifth at 2011 U.S. Half Marathon Championships. It will be Moody's first marathon since her 17th-place at the 2011 World Championships.

Atsedu Tsegay Tesfaye, who ran the fourth-fastest time in history when he won the 2012 Prague Half Marathon in 58:47, is the man to beat in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and will be chasing the $50,000 bonus for setting a world record. The current world record of 58:23 was set by Zersenay Tadese in 2010. Also chasing the world record bonus will be Wilson Erupe, who recently won the 2012 Seoul Marathon in 2:05:37, and 2012 Aramco Houston Half Marathon champion Feyisa Lilesa. Lilesa set a personal best 59:22 last January in Houston and followed that up by finishing second in the Chicago Marathon in 2:04:52. 2009 Chevron Houston Marathon champion Deriba Merga and 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi will also be in the mix. Also watch for American Luke Puskedra.

Runner-up in the 2012 Aramco Houston Half Marathon, Caroline Kilel will look to improve upon last year's performance when she returns to the Aramco Houston Half Marathon next Sunday.Mamitu Daska, 2011 Chevron Houston Marathon champion, will step down in distance this year to take on Kilel. Also watch out for 2012 Olympic 10,000m runner Lisa Uhl and 2012 Olympic marathoner Claire Hallissey of Great Britain.

2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi will be the honorary starter for Saturday's ABB 5K before taking to the roads on Sunday in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Two-time OlympianRyan Hall is the honorary starter for Sunday's Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

Women's Marathon

Olena Burkovska(UKR)

Kelly Calway (USA)

Buzunesh Deba (ETH)

Meseret Legesse (ETH)

Merima Mohammed (ETH)

Tera Moody (USA)

Kateryna Stetsenko (UKR)

WendyThomas(USA)

Meskerem Assefa Womdimagegn (ETH)

Men's Marathon

Dereje Abera (ETH)

Teferi Balcha (ETH)

Fernando Cabada (USA)

Andrew Carlson (USA)

Thomas Frazer (IRL)

Birhan Gedefa(ETH)

Teshome Gelana (ETH)

Cesar Lizano (CRC)

Matt Loiselle (CAN)

Tommy Neal (USA)
Michael Reneau (USA)
Sergio Reyes (USA)

Dereje Tadesse (ETH)

Debebe Tolossa (ETH)

Solomon Molla Tiemuay (ETH)

Martin Williams(GBR)

Bazu Worku (ETH)

Women's half marathon

ZemZem Ahmed (ETH)

Mamitu Daska (ETH)

Yihunlish Delelecha (ETH)

Claire Hallissey (GBR)

Hellen Jemutai (KEN)

Caroline Kilel (KEN)

Lanni Marchant (CAN)

Molly Pritz (USA)
Chemtai Rionotukei (KEN)
LindseyScherf (USA)
LindsayTollefson (USA)

Lisa Uhl (USA)

Men's half marathon

Shadrack Biwott (USA)

Aaron Braun (USA)

Wilson Erupe (KEN)

Meb Keflezighi(USA)

Philip Langat (KEN)

Feyisa Lilesa (ETH)

Deriba Merga (ETH)

Luke Puskedra (USA)

Tilahun Regassa(ETH)

Patrick Rizzo (USA)

Onesmus Serem (KEN)

Andualem Belay Shiferaw (ETH)

AtseduTsegay Tesfaye(ETH)

Tim Tollefson (USA)

Ben True (USA)

Antonio Vega (USA)

For more information on the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend, please visit http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.

About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.

Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter marathon, half-marathon, and 5K. Over 250,000 participants, volunteers and spectators make Chevron Houston Marathon Race Day the largest single-day sporting event in Houston. Race Weekend generates over $50 million in economic impact for the region annually. In 2012, the Run For a Reason Charity Program raised a record $2.3 million and the HMC garnered Silver Certification from the Council of Responsible Sport for industry-leading sustainability initiatives. Host to 12 U.S. Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992 women's Olympic Trials Marathon, HMC conducted the nationally-televised 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, which featured men and women competing on the same course simultaneously for the first time, vying for the chance to represent Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games.