Weini Kelati broke her own American half marathon record at the Houston Half Marathon with a second place finish in 1:06:09 – 16 seconds faster than her 2024 mark on the same course of 1:06:25. Ethiopia’s 19-year-old Senayet Getachew, the 2023 World Cross Country U20 champion, won the race in 1:06:05.

Here’s what you need to know:

– Kelati’s coach told CITIUS MAG that the plan would be to target under 1:06:00 but the cold and windy conditions may have caused her to fall off that pace late in the race. She hit the 10-mile mark in 50:05, which is faster than Molly Huddle’s 2018 American record of 50:52.

– Getachew pulled away from Kelati in the final mile to win her half marathon debut. Kelati hung on for second place. Buze Diriba of Ethiopia took third in 1:06:48. Amanda Vestri finishing fourth in 1:07:35, which moves her to No. 8 on the U.S. all-time list.

– This is now the fourth consecutive year that the U.S. women’s half marathon mark is lowered. From 2022 to 2024, the record has traded hands from Sara Hall, Emily Sisson, Keira D’Amato, to Kelati.

What Kelati had to say after the race:

Kelati (via post-race press conference): “Coming out here, I knew I was in good shape. I was hoping to run a good time, but when I saw the the wind, it was really hard, really challenging. I was like, ‘I really need to focus. I know I’m in better shape.’ I was just trying to run fast, but I wasn’t really thinking to be honest.

It feels amazing to come back here again. Last year was my first half marathon in Houston, getting the American record. Just to run it again and improve my time feels great. Thank you to the organizers and everyone who made it happen."