Meb ruled the American road racing headlines in 2014, most notably with his improbable victory at the Boston Marathon. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist became the first American since Greg Meyer in 1983 to win the race, and set a new PB of 2:08:37 at the ripe age of 38. The steely vet showed no signs of a Boston hangover when he placed fourth in New York on an absolutely brutal day in November,  running 2:13:18 and recording the fourth top ten finish in New York of his career (he won in 2009). His business is a gutsy one, and Meb has proven once and again that he can take the punches. 

 

While Meb is the big name in this field, there are quite a few young challengers that await him on the Houston starting line. Here’s our list of top contenders: 

 

Josphat Boit, 31 (PB 61:33)

2014 Stats:

- 3rd Houston US Half Marathon Champs (61:44)

- Ran PB of 61:33 at World Half Marathon Champs in March

- Finished 11th in Boston Marathon, 2:12:52

 

Matt Llano, 26 (PB 61:47)

2014 Stats:

- 5th Houston US Half Marathon Champs (61:47)

- 3 Top 10 Finishes at 15k, 20k, and 7-mile US Champs

- Finished 24th in Chicago Marathon, 2:17:43

Diego Estrada, 25 (PB N/A)

2014 Stats: 

- 1st US 5k Champs (13:57)

- 4 Top Ten Finishes at 5k, 12k, 20k, and 7-mile US Champs

- Making Half Marathon debut in Houston

 

Shadrack Biwott, 29 (PB 61:25)

2014 Stats:

- 7th Houston Half Marathon Champs (61:56)

- Finished 14th at Frankfurt Marathon in PB (2:12:55)

- Set PB of 61:25 San Diego Half Marathon, finishing 6th

 

Prediction: Meb can compete with anyone, but he’s also wise enough to not overlook anyone either. Good weather will make this one fast from the beginning, but expect father time to take command around 12 miles en route to a 61:30 win. 

US Women's Half Marathon Championships

Two Olympians headline the field in the women’s US Half Marathon Championships. 2012 Team USA members Kim Conley and Janet Bawcom will face upstart Lauren Kleppin, who was 2nd a year ago, as well top American finisher at the World Half Marathon Championships Annie Bersagel. Conley has only run 75:41, but she had an outstanding track season in 2014, setting PBs in distances ranging from 800m to 10,000m. Here’s the stat sheet for these ladies: 

 

Janet Bawcom, 36 (PB 69:55)

2014 Stats: 

- 2nd US 15k Champs (49:24)

- Set PB of 52:12 at Cherry Blossom 10-mile

- Set 10k road PB of 32:03 Azalea Train Run

 

Kim Conley, 28 (PB 75:41)

2014 Stats: 

- 1st USATF 10,000m 

- Set 5,000m PB in Rome (15:08.61)

- Set PBs in 800m, 1500m, 2,000m, 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m in 2014

 

Lauren Kleppin, 26 (PB 70:16)

2014 Stats: 

- 2nd Houston US Half Marathon Champs (72:12)

- 3rd at LA Marathon, PB (2:28:48)

- Set PB of 70:16 at World Half Marathon Champs

 

Annie Bersagel, 31 (PB 70:10)

2014 Stats:

- 13th World Half Marathon Champs PB (70:10)

- 1st Dusseldorf Marathon PB (2:28:59)

- 10th New York Marathon 

 

Prediction: The big name is Conley, but she may not feel quite at home yet in the half marathon distance. Annie Bersagel is not a household name, but she proved in 2014 that she could hang, and she will cement the biggest victory of her career on Sunday. 70:35.