CyBrian Kotut, Gabriel Geay headline Houston Half Marathon

Berlin Marathon reigning silver medalist CyBrian Kotut is set to take on 2023 Boston Marathon silver medalist Gabriel Geay at this year’s Houston Half Marathon set for Sunday 19 January.

The duo headline a field that has three runners, including the defending champion, Ethiopia’s Jemal Yimer, who have dipped under 60 in the distance.

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Yimer who won last year’s event in 60:42 to deny Kenya’s Wesley Kiptoo by a mere second, is the quickest on paper, heading to the race with a 58:33 personal best (PB) achieved in Valencia back in 2018.

32-year-old Kotut, boasting a PB of 59:12 from 2014 at the New Delhi Half Marathon, is expected to give the defending champion a run for his money if his 2:03:22 marathon PB from his performance in Berlin last year is anything to go by.

On his way to silver, he was part of a leading pack that went through the halfway mark in 60:57.

Kotut, who has primarily focused on the half marathon throughout his career, delivered an impressive performance in the heart of Germany’s capital, for the PB that surpassed his previous record of 2:04:47 set in 2022.

Also expected to compete for a podium place is 59:42 runner, Tanzania’s Geay whose best time was achieved in Houston in 2020. His 2:03:00 PB in the classic distance sets him as one of the favourites.

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Kiptoo, meanwhile, is out to make up for his 2024 mishap where he lost the title by a second after clocking 01:00:43, losing to Yimer.

The men's field includes some big American names led by Olympians Conner Mantz and Clayton Young. Other prominent Americans in the field include Futsum Zienasellassie, Hilary Bor, Morgan Pearson, Frank Lara, and Diego Estrada, who have all run under 1:02:00 in their careers, as well as Joe Klecker, who will be making his half marathon debut.