Fast Women: Niiya, Gebremaryam win in Houston
Emily Sisson lowers her American half marathon record
Hiwot Gebremaryam wins the Houston Half
Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidan Gebremaryam won Sunday’s Houston Half Marathon in 1:06:28, and 24 seconds later, Emily Sisson finished second and broke her own American record by 19 seconds, running 1:06:52. Gebremaryam opened up a lead early and never relinquished it, so the two runners ran separately throughout. Great Britain’s Jessica Warner-Judd started out with Sisson, even opening up a small gap at 10K, but she faded more and finished third in 1:07:19.
Last year, the top finishers in Houston ran a relatively even pace throughout the race. This year, the top three runners went out hard and hung on. Gebremaryam’s 5K splits were 15:14, 15:38, 15:58, and 16:08. Sisson’s were 15:31, 15:48, 16:01, and 16:06, and Warner-Judd’s were 15:31, 15:46, 16:06, and 16:21. They all got slower, just at varying rates.
At the 5K mark, Sisson was on 1:05:26 half marathon pace. “I really wanted to break 67 minutes and I’m happy I did,” Sisson told ABC-13 after the race. “I actually think I could have run a little bit more evenly, so I’m already hoping to run another half and even try to run faster.” Sisson became the first American woman to break 67 minutes on a record-legal course. Kara Goucher ran a 1:06:57 at the 2007 Great North Run, a downhill course, but Sisson has now surpassed that time.
Gebremaryam and Sisson both took 19 seconds off their personal bests. Sisson’s 10-mile split (50:52) tied Molly Huddle’s American record set at this race in 2018, and Sisson’s 20K split (1:03:26) broke Huddle’s AR, also from the 2018 Houston Half, by 22 seconds. Warner-Judd took 33 seconds off the personal best she set last year in Houston. (Results)
Some highlights behind the top three included:
This race marked the return of three-time Olympic champion Tirunesh Dibaba, after a four-year hiatus. But she was beaten by her younger sister, Anna Dibaba, who was fourth in a big personal best of 1:09:22. Tirunesh, now a mother of three, didn’t seem to have the day she was hoping for, judging from her progressively slowing splits, but she finished 16th in 1:11:35.
Molly Huddle, who spent the fall racing her way to fitness after having a baby nine months ago, made a huge jump in her postpartum racing, finishing fifth in 1:10:01. Huddle also ran one of the more evenly-paced races of the top finishers, which helped. The last time she raced in Houston, in 2020, she ran 1:09:34, and she’s back in that ballpark now.
As of January 1, a 1:12:00 or faster half marathon counts as an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. So Huddle qualified for the Trials, and Erika Kemp (seventh, 1:10:14, PR), Jenny Simpson (ninth, 1:10:35, debut), Amy Davis-Green (12th, 1:10:58, debut), Vanessa Fraser (13th, 1:11:00, debut), and Elena Hayday (15th, 1:11:33, PR) all earned new Trials qualifiers with their half times. Jumping ahead, two marathoners, Jacqueline Gaughan (12th, 2:34:36) and Jennifer Pope (13th, 2:36:24), earned new Trials qualifiers. I expected both lists to be longer, but I suspect the weather, along with some of the pacing, played a role.
Simpson finished the race alongside her husband, Jason, who was wearing mostly matching attire.
Hitomi Niiya dominates the Houston Marathon
The last time Hitomi Niiya raced in Houston, she set a Japanese record of 1:06:38 at the 2020 Houston Half Marathon. She returned in 2023 hoping to break Mizuki Noguchi’s Japanese marathon record of 2:19:12, which matches the course record Keira D’Amato set last year in Houston.
But it was Ethiopia’s Muliye Dekebo who set the pace early on, going through 5K in 16:04, with a 21-second lead. Niiya, who was running with a pacer, caught Dekebo between 15 and 20K, and Dekebo did an impressive job of hanging with her. But between 25K and 30K, Niiya began to pull away. At 40K, running all alone, Niiya was right on Japanese record pace, but she lost some ground in the final 2.2K and crossed the line in 2:19:24, just 12 seconds over Noguchi’s record, but a personal best by nearly two minutes.
Like last year’s Houston Marathon winner, Keira D’Amato, Niiya, 34, took a significant break from competitive running before returning and running faster than ever. Niiya retired from the sport at age 25, but decided to return roughly four years later.
When Dekebo fell off Niiya’s pace, she fell off dramatically. After going through halfway in 1:09:10, she ran the second half in 1:16:25. She held on to finish second, though, in 2:25:35, which was still a personal best. Ethiopia’s Sintayehu Lewetegn finished third in 2:26:33.
Additional marathon highlights:
ZAP Endurance's Tristin Van Ord took another big step forward in her marathon progression, finishing fourth in 2:27:07, a 2 minute, 25 second personal best.
Canada’s Kinsey Middleton finished fifth in a personal best of 2:29:22.
Here’s a recap of Maegan Krifchin’s marathons in recent months: 11/6/22: 2:40:52 at the NYC Marathon, 11/20/22: 2:31:41 at the Philadelphia Marathon, 12/4: 2:29:21 at the California International Marathon. Krifchin added another quick marathon on Sunday, running 2:30:16 to take sixth in Houston. She went out hard, shooting for a big goal, and fell off a bit, but she still ran another solid race. And she’s signed up for Boston, too.
Andrea Pomeranski, 40, finished seventh in 2:31:06, taking just over two minutes off her personal best. She also won the masters race.
An impressive 86 women broke 3:00 at this race. There’s no doubt that the 2:37:00 Olympic Marathon Trials standard raises the level of competition at races like this one, even if most of the people going after the time don’t quite get there.
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Yalemzerf Yehualaw runs second-fastest 10K ever
Yalemzerf Yehualaw of Ethiopia came close to breaking her own 10K world record on Sunday morning in Valencia, running 29:19 at the Valencia 10K Ibercaja. It was notable that Yehualaw negative split the race. When she set the world record of 29:14 last February, she went through halfway in 14:28 (28:56 pace) and hung on, a style that seems popular among the world’s best female road racers right now. But this time, she went through halfway in 14:47 and made up a lot of ground in the second half, with a second 5K split of 14:32.
Yehualaw missed her world record by five seconds, but she ran the second-fastest 10K ever. The times behind Yehualaw were quick as well. Kenyans Jesca Chelangat (30:01) and Esther Borura (30:15) took second and third, and Sarah Chelangat finished fourth in a Ugandan record of 30:24. The start of the race was unfortunately dangerous and disastrous for some, as there was a bad pile-up, as seen in this video retweeted by Steph Twell, who was in the race. (Results)
Britton Wilson breaks the collegiate 600m record
Britton Wilson had a phenomenal year in 2022, helping Arkansas break the collegiate record in the 4x400m relay indoors and winning the NCAA 400m hurdles title, before finishing second in the same event at the USATF Championships and fifth at the World Championships. And then she helped Team USA win the 4x400m relay at Worlds. Now her 2023 season is off to a similarly spectacular start as she opened up her season with a collegiate indoor 600m record of 1:25:16 on Friday.
The record was previously held by Athing Mu, who ran 1:25.80 in her one year at Texas A&M before winning an Olympic gold medal in the 800m six months later. (Side note: Mu still holds the 600m American record indoors with the 1:23.57 she ran to win her first U.S. senior title when she was only 16 years old.) Wilson finished second in Friday’s race to pro runner Shamier Little, who is a volunteer assistant at Arkansas. Little’s time, 1:24.65, places her seventh on the world all-time list. (Video | Results)
Lauren Fleshman’s book, Good for a Girl, is a must-read
With the release of her book, Good for a Girl, last week, Lauren Fleshman seemed to be everywhere last week. I listened to more podcasts with her than I can remember, and she got some significant attention from mainstream outlets. Terry Gross interviewed Fleshman on Fresh Air, the Wall Street Journal featured her, and Emily Oster talked to Fleshman and Molly Huddle for her popular ParentData newsletter.
The coverage is all great, but none of it is as good as the book itself. Despite having followed Fleshman’s career quite closely since she was in high school, I still learned a lot. I thought about highlighting some of the more surprising, powerful, or insightful moments here, but I think the book is best enjoyed without spoilers. This book could be a game-changer for women’s sports, not just distance running, and I hope it will be. I listened to the audiobook, and Fleshman reads it herself.
Additional Results
On Friday night, Amanda Moll became the first U.S. high school girl to pole vault more than 15 feet. She set an American U20 record and high school record, clearing 15-1.5 (4.61m). Her twin sister, Hana Moll, cleared a PR 14-9.5 (4.51m) at the same meet. (Video—I love the enthusiasm from the crowd.)
Shawnti Jackson broke the high school indoor 300m record on Saturday at the Virginia Showcase, running 36.63. The record was previously held by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who ran 36.82 in 2017. One day earlier, Jackson had a good battle with Sophia Gorriaran in the 500m, with Gorriaran winning 1:11.35 to 1:11.94. Gorriaran also won Saturday’s 800m in 2:03.16. (Results | 300m replay | 500m finish)
Florida’s Talitha Diggs won the 300m at the Clemson Invite in 36.12, which makes her the third-fastest collegian of all time. She also won the 60m in 7.14 seconds. (Results)
Abby Steiner, now running for Puma, opened her season with a 51.70 400m at the University of Kentucky. At the same meet, Kentucky’s Masai Russell ran 7.88 in the 60m hurdles, which ties her for 10th on the collegiate all-time list. (Results)
Kaela Edwards, who struggled with Graves’ disease last year, won the mile at the UW Preview in 4:32.83 and then doubled back with a win in the 600m (1:27.92) as well. Roisin Willis and Juliette Whittaker ran their first track races for Stanford, with Willis taking the 400m in an indoor PR of 53.65 and Whittaker winning the 800m in 2:02.48, a school record. Laura Pellicoro, of the University of Portland, won the 3,000m in 9:05.91. (Results)
At the University of Nebraska’s Graduate Classic, Krissy Gear dominated the 1,000m, running a solo 2:40.66, and Abby Nichols and Katie Wasserman went 1–2 in the 3,000m, running 9:01.96 and 9:05.23. All three came back in the 800m the next day, which Gear won in 2:04.63. (Results)
Carrie Verdon won the 3,000m at the University of Colorado’s Potts Invitational, running 9:26.20, which is significantly faster if you do the altitude conversion. (Results)
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won Italy’s Cinque Mulini cross country race, covering the unique 6K course that runs through water mills, in 19:41.
Ethiopia’s Lemlem Hailu outkicked Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich to win the Carrera Urbana Internacional Noche de San Antón 10K, 31:37 to 31:39.
Canada’s Malindi Elmore debated skipping the Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Half Marathon altogether after her flight was rebooked and she was scheduled to arrive after the race. But she sprung for a new ticket, made the trip, and won the race in 1:11:36. Lauren Paquette took second in 1:12:30, and Sarah Pagano was third in 1:13:15. Ashley Paulson won the marathon in 2:43:39. It looks like the weather was pretty terrible for racing.
On January 5, Poland’s Dominika Stelmach set a pending 12-hour world record, covering 94.841 miles (152.633K), which is 7:35 per mile. Camille Herron held the previous record of 92.665 miles.
Miranda Melville won Sunday’s USATF 35K Race Walk Championships in 2:58:22, which makes her the second-fastest American ever.
Other News and Links
Cindy Kuzma wrote a good article for Runner’s World about college programs moving away from body composition testing. I appreciated some of the top coaches, like Laurie Henes, Jill Miller, and Houston Franks, offering their thoughts on the issue. BYU coach Diljeet Taylor told Kuzma, “I’ve not utilized any of those tools, nor will I ever. I don’t think any modern-day programs should be utilizing these practices. We have seen what it is doing. If it’s detrimental to one female student athlete, it’s going to be detrimental to a lot more.”
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Athing Mu, Keni Harrison, and Jenna Prandini are all training together now, coached by Bobby Kersee, and this Track & Field News article included some interesting details. Kersee says he expects both McLaughlin-Levrone and Mu to race more this year. Both are planning to run the 400m (and the 1500m, as well, for Mu), and he said they want to take the 400m world record down as far as possible.
Because of the Tigray War, some of Ethiopia’s top runners were unable to see or communicate with their families in the Tigray region for more than two years. But last week, Derartu Tulu led a group of athletes to Mekelle, the region’s capital. Letesenbet Gidey, Gotytom Gebreslase, and Guday Tsegay were among them, but Tsegay didn’t get to see her family because word of her visit didn’t make it to them in time. Tsegay told the Addis Standard that being there still made her joyful, and she was able to speak with her family on the phone and hear that they were okay, which she said will help going forward. She also told the paper that her husband, who coaches her, was arrested without cause, but he has since been released.
Josette Norris announced that she has signed with On and joined the On Athletics Club, where her training partners will include Alicia Monson and Sage Hurta-Klecker. It seems like a great move for Norris, who said on the Citius Mag podcast that she moved to Boulder at the end of December. She and coach Dathan Ritzenhein are trying to be smart with her training as she makes a lot of changes at once—new training plan, new team, altitude, and new shoes. Norris had a busy December, getting married, going on her honeymoon, and moving to a new state. She said she’ll be changing her last name to Andrews as soon as she gets around to doing the paperwork.
Norris’ former Reebok Boston teammate Paige Stoner shared last week that she has joined HOKA NAZ Elite. She said on the Citius Mag podcast that she did one workout with her new teammates, Aliphine Tuliamuk and Steph Bruce, in October. They did 3 x 5K and Stoner said she stuck with them for just over two reps before falling off the pace. (It was also fun hearing Stoner talk about winning CIM and then watching one of the athletes she coaches qualify for the Olympic Marathon Trials about 10 minutes later.)
And speaking of Steph Bruce, after hinting at it in some of her interviews as 2022 went on, she officially announced last week that she’s not retiring yet.
Natosha Rogers, who spent the past few years running for the Hansons-Brooks Original Distance Project, announced last week that she had signed with Puma, and she is apparently joining Puma Elite as well.
This was a nice article about Sara Vaughn, who was hoping to pace her 16-year-old daughter, Kiki Vaughn, to her first sub-5:00 mile on Saturday at the University of Washington. It wasn’t to be, as Kiki had an off day, running 5:20.89, but she’s so new to the sport, there are many good things ahead for her. Sara, 36, had Kiki at the start of her junior year of college, which wasn’t easy, but she somehow pulled it off, got a lot faster, became a professional runner, and has since had three more children.
With her former coaches, Will and Samantha Palmer, headed to the University of Florida, Amaris Tyynismaa announced that she’s transferring to NC State. Tyynismaa finished third at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships and ninth in 2022.
Jonathan Gault wrote an interesting piece about Jenny Simpson for LetsRun.
It’s bound to change a bit before race day, but the B.A.A. announced an absolutely fantastic field for the Boston Marathon, which will take place April 17.
Additional Podcasts
Lauren Fleshman was on a whole slew of podcasts last week, and each of them included some good nuggets. My favorite, though, was her appearance on Matt Dixon’s Purple Patch Podcast, because she offers practical advice on how to help girls and women avoid some of the pitfalls she encountered. I also appreciate how Dixon, an accomplished coach, was willing to discuss where he could have done better with the athletes he has coached in the past.
Deena Kastor, the former American record holder in the marathon, interviewed Emily Sisson, the current American record holder in the marathon, on the Marathon Talk podcast. Sisson comes on at the 32:45 mark. Also of note, Kastor said she’s gearing up for April’s Paris Marathon, though it’s TBD how seriously she’ll run it.
Alison Mariella Désir has done many interviews since her book, Running While Black, came out, but I particularly enjoyed her appearance on The Appetite, where host and therapist Kara Bazzi asked some great questions. (Side note: It’s fantastic that Désir also now has a TV show. In the latest episode, she goes for a run with the Deadstock Run Club.)
Additional Episodes: Vanessa Fraser on C Tolle Run | Bria Wetsch on Ready to Run | Dakotah Lindwurm on The Bauer Our | Devon Yanko discussed her lupus diagnosis on The Drop (she comes on at the 52:00 mark) | Hurdler Alaysha Johnson spoke frankly on Out of the Blocks | Running legend Lorraine Moller talked about her career and training on Steadfast Running
Upcoming
The USATF Cross Country Championships, the selection meet for next month’s World Cross Country Championships, take place on Saturday in Mechanicsville, Virginia. You can find meet information, including the race schedule and entrants, here, and the races will stream live on USATF TV (subscription required). I’m excited to see the NXN champ, Irene Riggs, race the Champs Sports winner, Karrie Baloga, in the U20 race, and Weini Kelati headlines the senior women’s 10K.
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