FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Loaded Fields Set for 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon
Olympians Hall and Keflezighi to be honorary starters
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 Olympian Ryan 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)
Wendy Thomas(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)
Lindsey Scherf (USA)
Lindsay Tollefson (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 or
http://www.hmcpresscenter.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.
For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.
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