After a turbulent year, Meb Keflezighi had a breakthrough race at the 2009 USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston, Texas, Sunday morning. Keflezighi ran 1:01:25, ten seconds in front of runner-up Dathan Ritzenhein (1:01:35). McMillan Elite runner Brett Gotcher was third in 1:02:09.
Keflezighi and Ritzenhein led the race from the gun at an average speed of 4:42 per mile. At the 10-kilometer mark, Keflezighi’s split was 28:40, 15 seconds ahead of Ritzenhein. The gap widened, but Ritzenhein kept Keflezighi in sight. At mile 9, they were 18 seconds apart. Around mile 11, Ritzenhein made a move to close the gap, but it was too late to catch Keflezighi. Ritzenhein stayed about 10-15 seconds behind Keflezighi throughout the race, but in the end did not have the kick necessary to close the gap.
“I didn’t feel good. I just didn’t have the spring in my legs” Ritzenhein said. “[Keflezighi] ran great. There’s a reason why he’s an Olympic silver-medallist.”
Ritzenhein is currently training for the USA Cross Country Championships in Derwood, Maryland, February 7. He will then train for the London Marathon in April.
A 2004 Olympic silver-medallist and 10,000m American record-holder, experienced a number of setbacks leading up to the 2008 US Men’s Marathon Trials, including a pelvic stress fracture.
“This is probably the sweetest national title I’ve ever gotten…because of what I’ve overcome,” he said. “It was a rough year…[but] in life there’s challenges.”
Keflezighi’s coach, Bob Larsen, was happy for him as well. He said he was sure no one would beat him, but that “he took it one step further” by running away from the field from the start. Larsen said that depending on how Keflezighi feels after this race, he might run a spring marathon.
Ritzenhein’s 2008 Olympic teammate, Brian Sell, ran 1:02:36 for fifth place in Houston. At the pre-race press conference Friday morning, Sell seemed unsure of his fitness level.
“I think Dathan and Meb are really going to roll,” he accurately predicted.
As far as his training, Sell said he had a rough Christmas, but that the past three weeks before this weekend went well. He will likely run the Boston Marathon, April 20, as well as a possible fall marathon.
After an exciting Olympic year, the USA Half Marathon Championships set the bar for American distance running in 2009.
Merga Runs 2:07:52
The 2009 USA Half Marathon Championships were held in conjunction with the 37th annual Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Half Marathon.
Deriba Merga of Ethiopia won the men’s marathon with a time of 2:07:52, good for a $45,000 prize. His time is a new course record, but he said he wanted to run a 2:05.
Merga was fourth in the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon. He has a personal best time of 2:06:38, which he set in London last year.
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