[00:00:16]
MUCH AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO BRING UP DIAZ, UH, THE CHIEF OF POLICE FOR HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND HE'S GONNA MAKE A FEW REMARKS AND THEN WE'LL HEAR FROM, UH, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
AND WE'LL ALSO HEAR FROM, UH, HFD.
THIS IS JUST A FANTASTIC EVENT FOR THE CITY.
I WANNA THANK CHEVRON AND ARAMCO FOR THEIR PARTNERSHIPS IN THE COMMUNITY.
THEY DO SO MUCH GOOD IN THE COMMUNITY, SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HOST IT AND WORK THROUGH THIS INCREDIBLE PROCESS FOR 30,000 RUNNERS.
BUT I WANNA THANK MR. MOORHEAD FOR THE PROFESSIONALISM ALWAYS AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU BRING TO THIS FANTASTIC EVENT.
I WANNA ALSO THANK THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT'LL BE OUT THERE TOMORROW, UH, ALONG THE, THE ROUTE.
UH, THERE'LL BE SOME DELAYS, UH, DURING THESE EVENTS.
SO I'D ASK THE COMMUNITY TO PACK THEIR PATIENTS A LITTLE BIT.
AND ALSO, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT'S UNUSUAL IN THE COMMUNITY OR ON THE ROUTE OR AROUND IT, PLEASE LET SOMEBODY KNOW.
IF YOU THINK IT'S AN EMERGENCY, PLEASE CALL 9 1 1 SO WE CAN REACT TO IT.
LIKE I SAID, THERE'LL BE SOME ROAD CLOSURE STARTING SATURDAY MORNING FOR THE 5K AND A MORE EXTENSIVE ROAD CLOSURE FOR ON SUNDAY FOR THE FULL AND HALF MARATHONS.
WHEN YOU TRAVEL DOWN HERE, IF YOU HAVE, UH, YOUNG ONES THAT ARE TRAVELING DOWN HERE, MAKE SURE THEY HAVE SOMETHING ON THEM, PERHAPS A LITTLE STICKY OR SOMETHING IN THEIR POCKET WITH A PHONE NUMBER SO IF THEY GET LOST THAT WE CAN QUICKLY REUNITE THEM WITH MOM AND DAD.
THOSE KINDS OF THINGS HAPPEN TO US ALL THE TIME.
FINALLY, I WANNA SPEAK DIRECTLY TO THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO NOT LET YOUR GUARD DOWN.
THESE THINGS BRING A LOT OF PEOPLE INTO OUR COMMUNITY, SO WE ALWAYS FOCUS ON BEING SAFE, BEING PROFESSIONAL, AND BEING READY TO RESPOND TO ANYTHING THAT MAY HAPPEN.
WE'LL HAVE ENOUGH STAFF, WE'LL HAVE, YOU'LL SEE UNIFORM.
THERE'LL BE SOME NON-UNIFORM PERSONNEL.
WE'LL HAVE OUR DRONES IN THE AIR AS WELL.
WE, WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES IN AND AROUND THE EVENT AND ALONG THE RACE, THE RACE PATH.
AND I WANNA THANK ALL THE PARTNERS AGAIN, CHEVRON, THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE AMAZING ARAMCO FOR ALL THAT THEY DO HERE FOR US.
AND I WANNA THANK OUR PARTNERS AT THE FBI, ALL THE OTHER LOCAL AGENCIES THAT HELP WITH THIS.
I KNOW THE FIRE CHIEF IS, UH, RUNNING A LITTLE BIT BEHIND SCHEDULE, BUT WE ARE PREPARED AND WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR CHEVRON TO BE HERE, HAVING THIS RACE IN OUR BEAUTIFUL CITY.
AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO HAVE IT IN 27, 28, 29, AND 30.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON RACE DAY.
HOPEFULLY THE WEATHER'S GOOD, AND WE CAN HAVE A GREAT TIME.
NEXT UP, UH, WE'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE BRIAN MASON, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF, UH, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
AND BRIAN IS A RUNNER AS WELL, SO THAT HELPS US JUST A LOT.
UM, JUST TO ECHO WHAT CHIEF DIAZ SAID, UM, THIS IS A GREAT EVENT FOR US IN, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
JANUARY ALWAYS KICKS OFF WITH THE MARATHON.
IT KIND OF RESETS OUR YEAR, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR EVERYBODY OUT THERE.
2026 WILL BE AN INCREDIBLE YEAR FOR US.
UM, MARATHON, OBVIOUSLY RODEO, WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC.
UM, MEN'S BASKETBALL WILL BE HERE.
AND THEN WE HAVE A LITTLE SOCCER EVENT CALLED THE WORLD CUP.
SO 2026 IS GONNA BE AN INCREDIBLE, UH, YEAR FOR THE, UH, HOUSTON COMMUNITY.
UM, JUST A QUICK NOTE, AS WADE DID MENTION, I AM A RUNNER.
I'VE RUN, RUN, UH, MARATHONS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY AND REALLY HOUSTONIANS, CHEVRON, ARAMCO, EVERYBODY SHOULD BE VERY PROUD.
UM, AS SOMEBODY THAT'S RUN BOSTON, CHICAGO, A LOT OF THE DIFFERENT MARATHONS.
UM, HOUSTON IS, IS ALWAYS MY FAVORITE.
SOMETIMES WORK PULLS ME AWAY, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THIS YEAR I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO, UH, TO RUN IT AGAIN.
SO VERY, VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE EVENT THAT'S PUT ON HERE.
UM, AS FAR AS OEM SIDE WEATHER, UM, ONCE AGAIN FROM A WEATHER, UH, RUNNER POINT OF VIEW IS GONNA BE ALMOST PERFECT.
IT'S GONNA BE KIND OF LOW TO MID FORTIES WHEN WE START, UM, LIGHT WIND, YOU KNOW, OUT OF THE NORTH.
AND IT MAY WARM UP TO MAYBE THE MID FIFTIES BY THE TIME PEOPLE FINISH IN THE AFTERNOON.
SO WEATHER'S GONNA BE PERFECT.
UH, AS YOU GUYS REMEMBER, HISTORICALLY IN THE PAST, WE'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES WITH SOME WINTER WEATHER AND THINGS MOVING IN TOWARDS THE TAIL OF THE MARATHON, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THAT THIS YEAR.
UM, AS FAR AS THE EOC GOES, WE'LL BE OPENING UP THE, UH, CITYWIDE, UH, UH, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
THAT WILL FOCUS AS OUR UNIFIED, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, COMMAND POST OR COMMAND AREA.
UM, WE'LL HAVE, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE BETWEEN 60 TO 70 PEOPLE INSIDE THAT ROOM.
ALL THE DIFFERENT PARTNERS FROM POLICE,
[00:05:01]
FIRE, UH, PUBLIC WORKS.THERAP AND THE MEDICAL FOLKS, UH, YOU KNOW, KEEPING AN EYE ON EVERYTHING IN DEPLOYING RESOURCES.
SO A VERY LARGE EFFORT THAT GOES ON, UM, INSIDE THE EOC ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.
AS CHIEF DIAZ MENTIONED, UH, TRAFFIC, UM, WE ARE HOUSTONIANS FOR THE FOLKS OUTTA TOWN.
IT'S HOUSTON, WE HAVE TRAFFIC.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS SOME ROAD CONSTRUCTION AROUND.
WE'VE BEEN COORDINATING WITH OUR PARTNERS AT TDO AND, AND WITH THE CITY AND COUNTY TO, TO MINIMIZE SOME OF THAT.
UM, PUBLIC WORKS HAS BEEN OUT WORKING WITH, UH, WADE AND THE, AND THE TEAM TO MAKE SURE THE COURSE IS IN GOOD SHAPE.
UH, WE'VE ALREADY WORKED WITH WAZE AND SOME OF THE TRAFFIC APPS TO GET THE CLOSURES IN THE TRAFFIC APPS.
SO AS PEOPLE ARE COMING DOWN, PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR TRAFFIC APP.
UH, YOU MAY ASK, WHY IS IT TELLING ME TO GET OFF AND TAKE THIS WEIRD WAY? WELL PROBABLY 'CAUSE THERE'S A CLOSURE THERE.
YOU CAN ALSO GO TO HOUSTON TRANS STAR.
UM, THAT WEBSITE, UH, IS GONNA HAVE ALL THE TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION UP THERE AS WELL.
AND THEN WE WILL CONTINUE TO AMPLIFY AND, AND SHARE STUFF VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AND ON OUR WEBSITE.
WE ALSO DID SEND AN ALERT HOUSTON MESSAGE OUT TO ALL OF THE, UH, HOUSTONIANS THAT ARE ENROLLED IN THAT SYSTEM, LETTING THEM KNOW IT'S MARATHON WEEKEND.
THERE MAY BE SOME, YOU KNOW, TRAVEL DELAYS AROUND THE CITY.
UH, SO WITH THAT, LOOKING FORWARD TO A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL EVENT.
HOPEFULLY WE BREAK SOME MORE COURSE RECORDS THIS YEAR.
UM, AND, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKE 2026 AS GOOD AS 2025 WAS.
BRIAN'S BEEN SUCH A GREAT ADVOCATE OF OUR RACE.
HE'S ACTUALLY A PACER FOR US AS WELL.
HE IS PACING THREE 30, UM, ON SUNDAY, SO WISH HIM BEST OF LUCK AND HAVE A SAFE RACE.
UM, YOU CAN ALSO FIND THE STREET CLOSURES THAT HE MENTIONED@CHEVRONHOUSTONMARATHON.COM OR DOWNLOAD OUR APP.
UM, THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON APP HAS ALMOST ALL THE INFORMATION YOU COULD POSSIBLY NEED FOR A RACE WEEKEND.
UM, SCOUT YOUR ROUTE AND PACK YOUR PATIENTS IS EXACTLY, IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
WE EXPECT EVERYBODY TO LEAVE A LITTLE BIT EARLIER, IF POSSIBLE ON RACE WEEKEND, OR THERE'S STILL MAYBE SOME HOTELS AROUND.
COME DOWN ON SATURDAY AND ENJOY YOUR STAY AND, UM, WAKE UP HASSLE FREE IN THE, IN THE MORNING.
BUT, UM, WE ALSO WANT TO, UH, NEXT I'D LIKE TO WELCOME, UH, UH, HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF THOMAS MUNOZ.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THOMAS FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE A LOT OF VARIETY OF ROLES AND WE COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH HIM AGAIN THIS YEAR.
AND, AND THANK HFD FOR, UH, ALL THEY DO AND THE RESOURCES THEY GIVE US TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A SAFE EVENT.
CHIEF, IT'S GOOD SEEING YOU HERE.
UH, YES, THOMAS MUNOZ, FIRE CHIEF HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK THE HOUSTON MARATHON AND ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS FOR ALWAYS, UH, THE EFFORTS AND ALL THE HARD WORK WE PUT IN, UH, TOWARDS THE SAFETY OF OUR RUNNERS AND OUR, AND OUR RESIDENTS.
HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE GONNA BE HEAVY OUT THERE.
WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING, UH, 22 TRANSPORT UNITS, WHICH IS BOTH COMBINED WITH OURS AND, AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY PRIVATE AMBULANCES AS WELL.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DISPATCH SYSTEM OUT THERE.
WE'RE ALSO GONNA HAVE MEDICS AND EMTS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE.
WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, SOME BITE TEAMS ALONG WITH MED CARTS AND MED TEAMS. WE'RE ALSO GONNA HAVE FOUR DOCTORS THAT ARE GONNA BE WORKING WITH US.
AND WE'RE GONNA STRATEG WE ARE STRATEGICALLY PLACING THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE EMTS AND MEDICS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE.
SO AGAIN, WE COULD ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF OUR RUNNERS AND AS WELL AS ANYBODY ELSE IN THE AREA.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THIS.
MEN AND WOMEN READY TO GO FROM HOUSTON FIRE.
AND AGAIN, WE ALWAYS STRIVE TO BE THERE, RIGHT? SO I ALSO WANNA THANK HPD AND AS WELL AS PUBLIC WORKS AND EVERYBODY ELSE FOR ALL THE EFFORTS AND THE TEAMWORK.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PLANNING TABLETOP EXERCISES JUST TO BE READY.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU AND, UH, LOOK, THE GOOD NEWS, I WILL NOT BE A PACER, SO THAT'S GONNA GONNA BE GOOD FOR YOU.
I WAS GONNA DO THE SEVEN 30, BUT NO, THAT DIDN'T WORK.
THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN HFD AND OUR MEDICAL, UM, COMMITTEE IS, UH, IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR SUCCESS.
OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITIES IS TO MAKE SURE THAT AS, AS WITH TRAFFIC AND OTHER WAYS THAT WE DON'T HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE CITY, UM, IT CERTAINLY COUNTS WITH THE, THE HOSPITALS AS WELL.
WE WANT TO HAVE THE, THE LEAST AMOUNT OF IMPACT AS POSSIBLE ON THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, FIRST RESPONDERS AND HEALTH PERSONNEL THAT ARE TAKING CARE OF SICK PEOPLE.
AND THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO IS, UM, IS, UH, COMPLICATE THAT MATTER ANYMORE.
I'D LIKE TO AT THIS TIME INTRODUCE OUR MEDICAL DIRECTOR, DR.
LARS THERAP, WHO HAS ORGANIZED, UH, OUR, OUR, UH, EVENT AND OUR MEDICAL TEAM FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS, I BELIEVE.
[00:10:01]
HE'S GONNA TELL A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DO TO TRY TO ALLEVIATE THAT STRESS ON THE, ON THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE HERE.AND, UH, GIVE RUNNERS ADVICE FOR, UH, SUNDAY AND PERFECT WEATHER, SOME REMINDERS.
I'M THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR THE HOUSTON MARATHON.
UH, I WANNA START BY THANKING CHEVRON ARAMCO.
UM, I WANNA THANK OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS, HOUSTON POLICE, HOUSTON FIRE OFFICE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND EVEN PUBLIC WORKS.
THEY WORK WITH US THE ENTIRE YEAR ROUND MEETINGS, TABLETOPS, AND THEY TRULY MAKE THIS A SAFE EVENT.
ON THAT NOTE, I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR VOLUNTEERS.
WE HAVE ABOUT 7,000 THAT COME OUT HERE EVERY YEAR TO HELP US MAKE THIS RACE HAPPEN, OF WHICH OVER 900 OF THEM ARE JUST FOCUSED ON MEDICAL.
SO WITHOUT THEM, WE REALLY WOULDN'T HAVE A RACE.
UM, I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN UP HERE THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND EVERY YEAR I'VE HAD TO SAY, YOU KNOW, THE WEATHER'S OKAY, OR IT'S COLD, OR IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE WARM.
THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIRST YEAR I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO SAY THE WEATHER'S JUST ABOUT RIGHT.
UM, SO I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
BUT I'M ALSO HEARING A LOT ABOUT PRING.
SO A COUPLE COMMENTS ABOUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO PR, THERE ARE KIND OF THREE THINGS I REALLY THINK ARE IMPORTANT.
UH, FIRST, YOU WANT TO DRINK WHEN YOU'RE THIRSTY.
IF YOUR BODY'S TELLING YOU TO STOP, PLEASE STOP, SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION.
WE HAVE PEOPLE LINING THE COURSE, WHETHER IT'S A POLICE OFFICER, A FIREFIGHTER, OR A VOLUNTEER.
SO YOU NEED HELP, AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GET AHOLD OF US AND WE CAN GET YOU RESOURCES.
WE HAVE AN ENTIRE HOSPITAL, ESSENTIALLY BUILT IN THE GRB, WHICH CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE A TON OF RESOURCES IN THE FIELD TO MANAGE IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY.
SO WE'RE SET UP TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, BUT YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
AND IF IT'S TELLING YOU TO STOP, STOP.
AND THE OTHER THING IS IF IT SAYS, HEY, SLOW DOWN AND WALK FOR A BIT, THAT'S OKAY.
IT'S OKAY TO WALK A LITTLE AND GET YOUR BREATH BACK.
AND THEN LAST THING I'D RECOMMEND IS HAVE FUN.
IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO RUN THROUGH THE STREETS OF HOUSTON, SO ENJOY IT.
YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT REMINDER.
EVERYBODY'S BEEN TRAINING HERE LOCALLY IN 75 TO 85 DEGREE WEATHER OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
SO WHEN IT FEELS LIKE A PERFECT DAY, IT'S A GOOD REMINDER TO, UH, STICK TO YOUR NORMAL HYDRATION PLAN, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE FEELING GREAT AND IT'S PROBABLY GONNA FEEL LIKE YOU'RE RUNNING AN AIR CONDITIONING.
UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE DOING, UH, STICK TO YOUR PLAN, YOUR HYDRATION AND, UH, NUTRIENT PLAN.
SO, UM, THAT'S OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PORTION OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
AGAIN, EVERYONE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR ALL THE TIME AND, UH, EFFORT YOU GIVE TO MAKING, UH, TO US TO, TO PULL OFF THIS EVENT EACH YEAR.
UM, WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LITTLE HIATUS AND THEN WE'LL START AT 11 O'CLOCK WITH THE ELITE ATHLETE PRESS CONFERENCE.
WE'RE REALLY, REALLY EXCITED ABOUT OUR FIELD THIS YEAR, UM, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THEM.
AND MAYOR, UH, JOHN WHITMEYER WILL START THE, THE PRESS CONFERENCE OFF WITH AN ADDRESS TO, UH, TO THE EVENT.
I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE THIS MORNING BECAUSE IT DISPLAYS WHY HOUSTON IS A GREAT CITY.
MANY AMERICAN CITIES, MAJOR CITIES ARE QUITE FRANKLY, IN TURMOIL THIS MORNING.
A LOT OF DISAGREEMENT, BUT TODAY, LOOK WHAT HOUSTON, TEXAS IS DOING.
WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE OUR MARATHON.
I'LL BE THERE BRIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING, BUT IT WOULDN'T TAKE PLACE WITHOUT SO MANY INDIVIDUALS IN THE ROOM.
THANK YOU TO MY SPECIAL EVENTS.
THANK YOU TO HOUSTON FIRE, HOUSTON POLICE, TO MAKE THIS A SAFE EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO LARGELY OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH CORPORATE HOUSTON.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS RUNNING, I HAD CORPORATE HOUSTON LEADERSHIP SAY, YOU KNOW, THE CITY REALLY DOESN'T REACH OUT TO US LIKE THEY COULD.
WELL, NOT ONLY ARE WE REACHING OUT THIS MORNING, WE'RE THANKING OUR PARTNERS, PARTNERS FOR MANY YEARS.
THANK YOU FOR MOVING YOUR HEADQUARTERS TO HOUSTON.
I DO READ WHERE OTHER CITIES, I WOULDN'T DARE MENTION DALLAS, LOSING AT AND T AS A DOWNTOWN TENANT.
UH, WE'RE NOT CONTENDING WITH THOSE CHALLENGES.
ITS 6,500 EMPLOYEES THAT MAKE HOUSTON A SPECIAL PLACE, AND CERTAINLY OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH ARAMCO DOING THE HALF MARATHON.
YOU'RE INVOLVED IN SO MANY OF OUR BENEFICIAL PROGRAMS. SO REALLY IT'S EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM.
THE PRESS CHANNEL 13, CHANNEL 13 IS ONE OF OUR BEST SYSTEMS AND PARTNERS TO SHARE THIS CELEBRATION AND THIS EXPERIENCE AND OUR GUESTS, UH, THE ATHLETES THAT WANT TO BE IN HOUSTON.
[00:15:01]
AND QUITE FRANKLY, I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COOLER WEATHER THAT'S GONNA COME IN LATER TODAY.SO IF YOU CAN'T TELL, I'M PRETTY EXCITED.
I DID ASK SOMEBODY THE OTHER DAY, WHY HAS IT GOTTA START AT SIX IN THE MORNING? WOULD SEVEN NOT WORK JUST ABOUT AS WELL? BUT THEY SAID, MAYOR, YOU JUST BE THE MAYOR AND LET US RUN THE MARATHON.
I'M, UH, GONNA LISTEN TO THE ATHLETES.
I'VE MET 'EM OUT IN THE HALL, UH, WITH HOUSTON'S DIVERSITY.
THESE ATHLETES COULD BE RESIDENTS OF HOUSTON, AND I THINK WE WOULD CELEBRATE THEIR, UH, THEIR PARTICIPATION IN OUR COMMUNITY, OUR CULTURE, OUR DIVERSITY.
AND HOUSTON IS DEFINITELY GONNA BE HERE IN FULL FORCE ON SUNDAY.
AND, UH, I ASK EVERYONE TO ENJOY IT.
WE APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH AND ALLOWING US TO, UH, HOST THIS AMAZING EVENT, UH, IN THIS, IN YOUR CITY, THIS, THIS YEAR.
AGAIN, UM, ONE THING, UH, LET'S SEE.
ONE THING THAT WE WERE REALLY, REALLY FORTUNATE ABOUT IS WE HAD TO TELL THE NFL THAT THE TEXANS COULDN'T PLAY OVER THE WEEKEND.
UM, THAT YOU HAVE TO PLAY MONDAY NIGHT BECAUSE WE'VE GOT CBS OR, OR A BC SPORTS ANCHOR.
UM, GREG BAILEY HERE WHO'S HOSTING OUR EVENT EVERY YEAR, UM, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE HIM BACK AS ALWAYS.
AND, UH, I KNOW YOU HAVE TO CATCH A PLANE AFTER OUR, UH, LIVE BROADCAST ON, UH, SUNDAY MORNING.
BUT, UH, UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO AND THE PROFESSIONALISM YOU BRING TO THIS EVENT IN THE CLOUT.
WELL, THANK YOU MR. MAYOR, AND THANK YOU WADE.
UH, SO PROUD TO REPRESENT EVERYONE AT A BC 13, UH, ANOTHER YEAR AS THE OFFICIAL BROADCAST PARTNER OF ONE OF THE GREAT EVENTS, UH, ANYWHERE IN THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY.
I WANT TO AMPLIFY WHAT, UH, WHAT WADE SAID EARLIER.
THIS GOLD LABEL DESIGNATION MAKES THIS SUCH A DRAW, NOT JUST FOR OUR VIEWERS HERE IN HOUSTON AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS, BUT VIEWERS ACROSS THE GLOBE.
UH, WE STREAM THIS RACE ON OUR A BC 13 STREAMING PLATFORMS. THE RESPONSE WE GET FROM AROUND THE WORLD, UH, AMAZES US EACH AND EVERY YEAR.
IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE A PART OF IT.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT WEEKEND.
AND WADE, FIRST THINGS FIRST, WE'RE GONNA PUT ON A GREAT SHOW FOR THE MARATHON, AND THEN I'LL JUMP ON THE PLANE AND GET TO PITTSBURGH WITH, UH, THE HOUSTON TEXANS TAKING ON THE STEELERS.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS LEVEL OF, OF AN EVENT WORLD CLASS IN EVERY ASPECT DOES NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT OUR TREMENDOUS SPONSORS, OUR TITLE SPONSORS.
AND WITH THAT IN MIND, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO REPRESENT AND TO INTRODUCE LEAH CASEY, THE SENIOR MANAGER OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AT CHEVRON.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US TODAY.
IT IS AN HONOR TO REPRESENT CHEVRON AND OUR 6,500 EMPLOYEES, AS THE MAYOR POINTED OUT, WHO ARE PROUD TO CALL HOUSTON HOME.
BEFORE I FORGET, I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, THOSE MEN AND WOMEN WHO KEEP US SAFE EVERY DAY IN OUR COMMUNITIES, BUT ALSO FOR THE MARATHON.
WITHOUT THEM, EVENTS LIKE THIS JUST WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE.
UM, HOUSTON IS OFTEN CALLED THE ENERGY CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
AS A GLOBAL COMPANY, WE WELCOME AND CELEBRATE THE AMAZING ATHLETES ACROSS THE WORLD FROM OVER 50 COUNTRIES.
THIS WEEKEND, OUR 6,500 HOUSTON EMPLOYEES BRING THEIR HUMAN ENERGY TO WORK EVERY DAY.
AND WE'RE EXCITED TO WELCOME THE ATHLETES THAT ARE BRINGING THEIR HUMAN ENERGY THIS WEEKEND FOR RACE WEEKEND.
WE HOPE ALL ATHLETES, VOLUNTEERS, AND ATTENDEES FEEL THAT HUMAN ENERGY THIS WEEKEND.
SO ON BEHALF OF CHEVRON, WE WELCOME YOU, WE CELEBRATE YOU, AND WE THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.
OBVIOUSLY, ONE OF THE, UH, HIGHLIGHTS OF, UH, A GREAT RACE WEEKEND THAT LEAH AND EVERYBODY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AT CHEVRON IS THE ELITE WORLD CLASS FIELD THAT JOINS US.
THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE MORNING IS OUR CHANCE TO INTRODUCE, UH, THESE REMARKABLE RUNNERS, HAVE THEM SHARE SOME OF THEIR INSIGHTS INTO RACE WEEKEND HERE IN HOUSTON.
SO WE BEGIN WITH THE ELITE FIELD ON THE MEN'S SIDE AND THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.
WE BEGIN FROM ETHIOPIA, READY FOR HIS FIRST RACE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
[00:20:01]
ANE CABE TO THIS STATE.WELCOME ANE REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES, THE 2024 US CHAMPION AT 15 KILOMETERS.
WE WELCOME TO S SHOWME MCCONN.
WE CONTINUE WITH THE COURSE RECORD HOLDER, OUR PAST CHAMPION, ZHA ALBY, REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES AS WELL.
YOU GUYS GO AHEAD AND GRAB A SEAT.
WE BEGIN WITH YOU HIGHLY ANTICIPATED UNITED STATES DEBUT.
ANE THE QUESTION IS, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE HOUSTON FOR YOUR UNITED STATES DEBUT? UH, YEAH.
I LOVE THIS COUNTRY, AND SO I'M VERY HAPPY THAT I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE FOR THIS RACE.
I'VE TRAINED A GREAT DEAL, SO I'M REALLY HOPING TO WIN.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WORLD CLASS FIELD THAT YOU'LL BE RACING AGAINST? YO? UH, WELL, I HAVE TRAINED EXTREMELY WELL, SO I AM STILL CONFIDENT THAT I HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN.
UH, BUT IN ADDITION, I THINK THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE COURSE RECORD BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A STRONG FIELD.
WELL, WE WELCOME YOU ADANA KEBEDE.
WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO WIN YOUR FIRST MARATHON TITLE HERE IN HOUSTON? I AM.
THIS RACE IS, UH, NOT THIS, UH, NOW, NOT THE FIRST TIME I'M AROUND THOUSAND 23, SIR.
THE PLACE I LIKE THE COURSE, I LIKE EVERYTHING, SO MY TRAINING, EVERYTHING IS READY.
YOU BECAME A US CITIZEN IN 2022.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA? UH, THIS IS MY DREAM.
EVEN, UH, I KNOW I'M BORN IN ETHIOPIA, BUT EL LUIS, I'M DREAM I I NEED TO.
UNITED STATES IS VERY, UH, I LIKE IT LIVE IN THIS STATE.
SO AFTER THE, UH, I'M COME TO UNITED STATES, I'M SO HAPPY.
WE WELCOME YOU HERE TO HOUSTON.
WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.
WE CONTINUE WITH OUR COURSE RECORD HOLDER ZHA.
ALBY LUHA, HOW DOES YOUR PAST SUCCESS HERE IN HOUSTON BOOST YOUR HOPES FOR A WIN IN THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON? UM, I, I THINK IT'S, UH, DEFINITELY A CONFI CONFIDENCE BOOST WHEN, UH, YOU'RE, UH, UM, LIKE 2024 CHAMPION AND, YOU KNOW, THE COURSE YOU'RE, YOU HAD SUCCESS, UH, HERE.
SO I THINK THAT DEFINITELY, UH, BOOST MY CONFIDENCE TO, UH, TRY TO SIMULATE THE SAME THING I DID IN 2024 AND, UH, TRY TO LIKE, UH, USE ALL MY PREVIOUS RACES, UH, UH, TO COME UP WITH A STRATEGY, UH, AND PACE MYSELF TO, UH, TRY TO WIN FIRST AND, UH, HOPEFULLY, UH, COME UP WITH, UH, A FAST TIME.
WELL, RECORDS FALL HERE IN HOUSTON.
IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY YEAR YOU BRING SUCH A UNIQUE STORY AND A BEAUTIFUL STORY.
HOW MUCH PRIDE DO YOU TAKE IN REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES, BOTH ON THE RACE COURSE AND IN THE US ARMY RESERVES? UH, IT, IT'S DEFINITELY, UH, BEEN, UH,
[00:25:02]
UH, A DREAM COMING TRUE THAT, UH, SINCE I CAME, UH, TO THE STATES, I, UH, I LOVED EVERYTHING HERE.UM, I DEFINITELY, I FOUND ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT I NEEDED TO IMPROVE.
SO SINCE THEN, I, I KEPT IMPROVING AND, UH, UH, KEEP, UH, DEVELOPING MYSELF.
AND I DEFINITELY, UH, TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE, UH, ON REPRESENTING, UH, THE UNITED STATES, UH, UH, SUNDAY, BUT ALSO JUST BEING, UH, AFFILIATED AND PART OF THE ARMY RESERVE.
UH, I, UH, I TAKE PRIDE OF THAT.
WELL, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR GREAT COUNTRY AND WE WELCOME YOU TO HOUSTON, CONTINUED SUCCESS.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM OUR ASSEMBLED MEDIA THIS MORNING? YES, SIR.
UH, PETER WARREN, HOUSTON CHRONICLE.
UM, ZHA, WHAT PART OF THE COURSE ARE YOU MAYBE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT OR THINK COULD BE THE, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU HAVING RUN IT BEFORE AND, AND WON IT? UH, I THINK, UH, IN 2024 WAS THE, THE, THE BIG CHALLENGE WAS, UH, I HAD A PACER UNTIL THE HALF MARATHON.
AND, UM, FROM THE HALF, I WOULD SAY FROM THE, THE HALF TO 30 K SOMEWHERE, I, I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, I THINK AROUND 20 5K, IT WAS WINDY.
I THINK THAT'S MY WORRY A LITTLE BIT.
LIKE THERE IS A BIG STRETCH WHERE IT GETS WINDY.
AND, UM, UM, BESIDE THAT, I THINK THE COURSE IS FLAT.
UH, THERE IS SOME SMALL HAIL, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT THEY'RE GONNA CAUSE UH, UH, THE PACE TO SLOW DOWN OR ANYTHING.
AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO WIN THE MARATHON, UM, THIS TIME AS A, A US CITIZEN? UH, IT'S HONESTLY, THE, THE WORK, UH, IT'S, IT'S DONE.
I THINK I PREPARED MYSELF, UH, VERY WELL FOR, FOR THIS RACE.
SO IT'S GONNA TAKE JUST BEING SMART, UH, TRUSTING, UH, MY PACE AND, UH, NOW WHEN TO DO MY MOVE, UH, TO WIN THE RACE.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? WE INVITE, UH, OUR ELITE FIELD TO, UH, PERHAPS STEP FORWARD, PUT THOSE MICROPHONES DOWN AND, UH, POSE FOR A PHOTOGRAPH RIGHT AT THE FRONT OF THE STAGE.
LET'S TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK OUR ELITE FIELD FROM THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT WEEKEND.
WE CONTINUE WITH THE ELITE FIELD FOR THE WOMEN'S PORTION OF THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.
WE BEGIN WITH OUR THREE TIME CHAMPION HERE IN HOUSTON.
WELCOME BARUCH TAIT DFA TO THE STAGE.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SUCCESS.
FROM ETHIOPIA, THE WINNER OF THE 2025 LOS ANGELES MARATHON TO GENUS TULU AND FROM GREAT BRITAIN, CALI HOGGER, THACKERY, FRESH OFF HER WIN IN THE HONOLULU MARATHON IN MID-DECEMBER.
WE WELCOME THEM WITH A GREAT ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
YOU GUYS CAN GRAB YOUR SEATS IN THE MICROPHONES THERE.
THERE'S ONLY ONE PLACE TO BEGIN.
IT'S WITH OUR THREE TIME CHAMPION OF THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.
BARUCH TAIT DIGA, HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE DOES YOUR SUCCESS IN HOUSTON AS YOU RACE FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED FOURTH TITLE HERE? YOU KNOW WHAT, I AM EXCITED ALL THE TIME I'M COMING FOR THIS.
UM, I'M COMING THIS RACE BECAUSE, UH, VERY NICE, UH, UH, THE, THE COURSE, EVERYTHING IS VERY NICE AND WE'LL SEE THIS YEAR A LITTLE WILL PAY, UM, INJURY, BUT, UM, TRY MM-HMM
WELL, YOU HAVE BATTLED THROUGH SOME SIGNIFICANT INJURIES.
THAT WOULD BE MY NEXT QUESTION.
HOW DO YOU FEEL AND WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK TO THIS SPORT? TO, TO TRAIN AND TO COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS? I ALREADY, I'M, UH, AND, UH, FULL TREATMENT, MY LEG, AND FOR LAST YEAR, THIS YEAR BETTER, MY LEG IS, UM, TRY, THAT'S WHY I'M COMING THIS RACE.
AND, UH, ALREADY NOW, AFTER LAST YEAR, I'M COMING THIS RACE.
I'M SECOND PLACE IN UAC
THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M COMING THIS RACE FOR FULL CONFIDENCE.
WELL, IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU, WELCOME BACK WITH A GREAT SMILE ON YOUR FACE.
[00:30:01]
ON YOUR GREAT SUCCESS HERE.WE CONTINUE WITH TO GINA ULU, HOW MUCH CONFIDENCE DID YOUR WIN IN THE LOS ANGELES MARATHON GIVE YOU AS YOU ARRIVE HERE IN HOUSTON? OKAY, UH, I'M GUDO AND I'M, UH, LOS ANGELES
UH, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME HERE AND RAISE HERE.
THE LOS ANGELES COURSE WAS TOUGH, SO BECAUSE I WON THERE AND THIS COURSE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS MORE LEVEL THAN THAT, I BELIEVE IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME.
MY FOLLOW UP IS WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO COMPETE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP HERE IN HOUSTON? UH, WELL, ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL, WHAT'S NEEDED, FIRST OF ALL, IS HARD WORK.
AND I HAVE WORKED HARD, I HAVE PREPARED WELL.
I'M HEALTHY AND I TRUST IN MY PREPARATION.
OTHER THAN THAT, THE WEATHER IS GOOD RIGHT NOW, AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, ON RACE DAY, IT'S GOING TO BE EVEN BETTER.
WELL, WE WELCOME YOU TO HOUSTON.
WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST ON RACE DAY.
WE ALSO WELCOME CALLIE HOGGER THACKERY TO HOUSTON.
DO I HAVE THIS RIGHT FACT? CHECK ME, DID YOU JUST RUN THE HONOLULU MARATHON IN MID-DECEMBER? YOU'RE, YOU'RE SMILING AS YOU SAY THAT.
SO FOR THE MERE MORTALS LIKE ME, WHY IN THE WORLD DO THAT LESS THAN A MONTH AGO AND THEN RUN HERE IN HOUSTON AGAINST THIS WORLD CLASS FIELD
I JUST HAD A FRIEND AND COMPETITOR OUT THERE.
JUST SAY THAT I'M ALSO CRAZY AND SHOULD GO TO A MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTION, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
I LUCKILY CAME OFF HONOLULU REALLY WELL.
I TOOK IT DAY BY DAY, WEEK BY WEEK, AND THANKFULLY JUST BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE A SLOWER RACE FOR ME.
A LOT OF IT WAS JUST VERY TACTICAL AND THE LAST 10 K WAS THE RACE.
SO I, I FEEL LIKE I'VE COME OFF IT REALLY WELL, THANKFULLY.
AND YEAH, SO I MADE THE DECISION A CONCRETE DECISION TWO WEEKS AGO TO BE LIKE, YEP, WE'RE DOING IT.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE CONDITIONS IN HONOLULU WERE DIFFICULT, HOT, HUMID, WET.
SO YOU'RE LISTENED TO YOUR BODY AS YOU RECOVERED AND SAID, NOW LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT HERE IN HOUSTON.
AND I THINK A COLD, A MARATHON WILL FEEL GOOD, BUT TODAY I WAS RUNNING THOUGH AND I WAS LIKE, WOW, THIS IS HUMAN.
THIS FEELS LIKE HONOLULU TODAY,
BUT YEAH, I THINK SUNDAY IS GONNA BE A LOT COOLER, WHICH IS, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT.
DO I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUR HUSBAND DOUBLES AS YOUR COACH? MM-HMM
WHAT IS THE BEST PART OF THAT AND PERHAPS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THAT? YEAH, I GET THAT QUESTION A LOT.
UM, IT'S, IT'S A REALLY GOOD DUO.
I, I THINK WE'RE BOTH REALLY LIKE, I DUNNO, WE BOTH DO, WE BOTH DO THIS THING TOGETHER.
HE'S ALSO PROFESSIONAL RUNNER AND YEAH, WE GET IT.
UM, BUT THE BEST PART I WOULD SAY IS YOU GET TO DO THIS EVERY DAY WITH, WITH YOUR PERSON AND LIKE GET TO TRAVEL AND DO ALL THE THINGS.
AND IT'S JUST AN AMAZING JOURNEY, WHAT WE'RE ON.
I'M VERY, VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE HIM.
AND THE WORST THING, I GUESS, YEAH, LIKE, WE DON'T ALWAYS AGREE ON THE SESSIONS AND THE RACES
I GUESS YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA GET THAT WITH A COACH.
THEY'RE NOT ALWAYS GONNA SEE THE, YOUR CRAZY VISION, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S OKAY.
YOU MENTIONED, UH, THE CONDITIONS HERE.
WE EXPECT TEMPERATURES IN THE FORTIES, MUCH LOWER HUMIDITY ON A GREAT COURSE.
WHAT, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE IN TERMS OF TIMES WITH THIS LEVEL OF COMPETITION? YEAH, I HOPE, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A GREAT, IT'S ALWAYS A GREAT RACE.
I THINK I PACED THE RACE LAST YEAR FOR IN THE MARATHON, AND THERE WAS SUCH A GOOD PACK OF US, AND THAT MASSIVELY HELPS.
I THINK THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT JUST BRINGS OUT SO MUCH ON THE DAY AND THE WEATHER BEING THE WAY IT IS AND EVERYTHING.
I THINK IF THE STARS ALIGN, IT COULD BE A REALLY FAST DAY AND HOPEFULLY A BIG PB.
WE, WE HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE, YEARLY.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM OUR ASSEMBLED MEDIA? YES.
THIRD ROW BACK THERE IN THE BLUE BLAZER.
[00:35:06]
KELLY, YOU'RE COMING OFF OF A CAREER YEAR, UM, 2025, COULDN'T REALLY HAVE GONE BETTER FOR YOU.UH, HOW DO YOU CARRY THAT MOMENTUM INTO THIS, UH, COMING YEAR, ESPECIALLY TOMORROW? AND ALSO A SECOND QUESTION, UH, TALK, TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR FOOTWEAR TODAY,
UM, YEAH, I THINK THE OPTIONS, LIKE MAINLY THE UPS OF LAST YEAR WAS, WAS AMAZING.
AND I THINK IT'S ALWAYS EASY TO THINK YOU DIDN'T HAVE A CAREER JUST OF THE FEW LITTLE BLIPS I HAD, UM, AS WELL.
BUT YEAH, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT.
UM, BUT YEAH, NO, IT WAS AN AMAZING YEAR.
I I TOOK ON A LOT WITH THE TRACK, THE, AND THE ROADS.
UM, BUT YEAH, I AM, I, I JUST WANNA CARRY THAT MOMENTUM NOW, REALLY.
I JUST, I'M REALLY LIKE, HAPPY WITH HOW THINGS ARE GOING.
I THINK THE FAST TWITCH STUFF ON THE TRACK HAS HELPED ME ELEVATE FOR THE ROADS AND THE LONGER DISTANCES.
SO YEAH, I JUST WANNA CARRY THAT THROUGH FOR THIS YEAR AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN START THE YEAR OFF STRONG WITH A REALLY FAST MARATHON AND HOPEFULLY GET WHAT I WANTED IN CHICAGO IN THIS RACE.
SO THAT'S THE HOPE AND THE SHOES.
UM, I LOVE MY, I'VE, I WENT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, FUNNILY ENOUGH, SO I REALLY GOT INTO THE COWBOY GROUPS THEN, AND HOUSTON'S THE PLACE TO WEAR THEM AS WELL.
SO
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? GOT A QUESTION RIGHT UP HERE IN THAT SECOND ROW.
HAVE YOU EVER RACED A TWO MARATHON SO QUICKLY BACK TO BACK LIKE THIS? NO, NO.
THIS IS A FIRST I THINK LIKE, I THINK THIS IS BY FAR THE CLOSEST, ISN'T IT? NICK? WHAT, UH, BERLIN C WAS THAT? SIX WEEKS? SIX TO SEVEN.
SO YEAH, THERE'S FOUR WEEK TURNAROUND, HOPEFULLY.
I FEEL I FELT REALLY GOOD THE LAST TWO WEEKS, SO HOPEFULLY ALL, ALL GOES WELL FOR THE I KNOW IT'S A TURN, IT IS A TOUGH TURNAROUND.
I JUST THINK LUCKILY, LIKE WITH, WITH HONOLULU BEING LIKE A TACTICAL EFFORT, I'M HOPING THAT I'LL, I'LL COME OFF THAT.
WELL, AND IT'LL JUST LIKE, GIVE ME THE STRENGTH FOR THIS, THIS NEXT ONE.
HOW MUCH WORSE WOULD YOUR TIME BE IF YOU WORE THOSE BOOTS ON SUNDAY? I, YEAH, I, I THINK THEY SHOULD, WE SHOULD MAKE THAT, I THINK, SHOULDN'T WE? WE SHOULD BRING IN THE COWBOY BOOTS AND SEE HOW FAST EVERYONE CAN RUN IN COWBOY BOOTS,
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT FOR THE COURSE? WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO, TO SEE AGAIN OUT THERE? SORRY, COULD YOU JUST REPEAT THE BEGINNING OF THE QUESTION? UM, FIRST TIME RACING IN A COUPLE YEARS ON, ON THE COURSE, WHAT'S IT GONNA BE? WHAT'S IT GONNA BE LIKE TO FEEL, BE BACK ON THE COURSE AND WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED FOR? BEING OUT ON THE HOUSTON ROADS? JUST YEAH, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I AM RUN END OF ONE MONTH BEFORE SAY I NEED MARATHON AND, UH, THE, I'M ALREADY, I NEED FOR HALF, BUT THIS ORGANIZER POLICE RUN FULL MARATHON AND HE WIND ME IN, UH, SUPPORT COME MARATHON.
AND I'M EXCITED BECAUSE, UM, I KNOW THE COURSE I'M RUN EIGHT TIMES, THREE TIMES SOONER, UH, THREE TIMES THIRD, SECOND PLUS AND TWO TIMES THIRD PLUS.
AND I KNOW MORE THE COURSE, BUT THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M COMING AFTER ONE MONTH, UH, UM, COMING THIS RACE FOR CONFIDENCE BECAUSE I KNOW THE COURSE.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE COURSE? UM, THE LAST, UH, SEVEN MILES UP, DOWN.
I'VE JUST BEEN TOLD YOU, KELLY, IS IT YOUR BIRTHDAY TODAY? YES.
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO, UH, PERFORM REALLY WELL THIS WEEKEND? WHAT KIND OF BIRTHDAY PRESENT WOULD THAT BE, UH, FOR YOU? YEAH, I MEAN, DEFINITELY AN AMAZING BIRTHDAY PRESENT.
I FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I DO NOW
I JUST THINK THE ONLY WAY TO CELEBRATE A GOOD BIRTHDAY IS RUN A MARATHON
SO YEAH, NO, TO RUN WELL WILL MEAN A LOT.
UM, I'M GONNA CELEBRATE PROPERLY AFTERWARDS FOR SURE.
FROM EVERYBODY HERE IN HOUSTON, OUR ELITE FIELD FOR THE, UH, CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON.
COMING UP ON SUNDAY, WE WOULD INVITE YOU TO PUT THOSE MICROPHONES DOWN, STEP UP TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE AND HAVE THAT PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN.
[00:40:01]
FANTASTIC.HOW ABOUT A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THE ELITE FIELD, THE WOMEN'S SIDE, OR THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON COMING UP ON SUNDAY? THANK YOU.
WHEN WE SAY THAT RECORDS FALL HERE IN HOUSTON, IT IS AN ANNUAL TRADITION.
WE ARE CERTAINLY TALKING ABOUT THE ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF MARATHON.
JOINING US FROM ARAMCO TODAY, WE WELCOME ACHMED AL MUHUM, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ARAMCO.
UH, THANK YOU AND, UH, GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
I'M THRILLED TO BE HERE, UH, TODAY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS AS A TITLE SPONSOR.
THE ARAMCO HALF MARATHON HAS BEEN THE FOUNDATION OF ARAMCO'S COMMITMENTS TO HOUSTON, CONNECTING US WITH THE CHARITIES, UH, RUNNERS AND VOLUNTEERS.
THIS RACE REFLECTS OUR CORE VALUE TO GIVE BACK TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
I'M HONORED TO BE PART OF THIS WEEKEND FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ARAMCO AMERICAS.
OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE TOLD ME HOW MUCH THEY LOOK FORWARD FOR THIS EVENT, WHETHER THEY'RE RUNNING OR VOLUNTEERING, AND I SHARE THEIR EXCITEMENT AS WELL.
IN FACT, I'M EVEN PARTICIPATING IN THE 5K RACE MYSELF, AND I DO PROMISE TO STAY OUT OF, OF THE WAY OF THE ELITE RUNNERS.
THIS WEEKEND GOES BEYOND THE FINISH LINE.
IT ALSO ENCOURAGES THE NEXT GENERATION.
WE ARE PROUD TO COLLABORATE WITH THE HOUSTON MARATHON FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT.
WE RUN HOUSTON PROGRAM THAT GIVES KIDS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STAY ACTIVE AND INVOLVED.
THESE YOUNG RUNNERS TRULY INSPIRES ALL OF US.
THIS WEEKEND ALSO KICKS OFF A GREAT JOURNEY FOR HOUSTON.
AS A GLOBAL PARTNER OF THE FIFA WORLD CUP AND THE HOUSTON HOST CITY, WE ARE WORKING ALONGSIDE CITY OFFICIALS TO BRING EXCITEMENT, ROBUST ECONOMIC GROWTH AND LASTING BENEFITS TO THIS VIBRANT COMMUNITY.
WE ARE HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS INITIATIVES THAT WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT THE GREATER HOUSTON AREA.
SO WE'RE HONORED TO SUPPORT THE MARATHON COMMITTEES, THE CITY OF HOUSTON, THE ELITE AND RECREATION AND RUNNERS, AND SPECIALLY THE STUDENTS ATHLETES.
YOU ARE THE REASON WHY WE'RE ALL HERE ON BEHALF OF ARAMCO AMERICAS AND OUR EMPLOYEES, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE THAT MAKES THIS EVENT POSSIBLE.
WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE HOUSTON MARATHON COMMITTEE AND ITS FOUNDATION, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICERS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, OUR FIRST RESPONDERS, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND ALL THE AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
AND SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE VOLUNTEERS, INCLUDING OUR OWN EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES FOR THEIR TIME AND DEDICATION.
AND OF COURSE, THANKS TO THE FANS WHO CREATE SUCH AN INCREDIBLE ATMOSPHERE TO ALL THE RUNNERS, BEST OF LUCK.
WE'RE ALL CHEERING ON EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
SO WELCOME AGAIN, CASEY KLINGER, YOU GET TO LEAD US OFF FOR THIS GROUP HERE TODAY.
YOU'RE MAKING, I UNDERSTAND YOUR HALF MARATHON DEBUT HERE IN HOUSTON, IS THAT RIGHT? YES, IT IS.
WHY IS HOUSTON THE PLACE TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN? UM, I HAVE SEVERAL TEAMMATES WHO HAVE RUN HERE AND WHO'VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS AND THEY RECOMMENDED, UH, THIS TO BE THE PLACE TO GO FOR MY DEBUT.
SO, UM, I DECIDED TO GO FOR IT AND RUN FAST HERE.
AND, AND SPECIFICALLY IF YOU COULD TELL US, WHAT DO THEY TELL YOU ABOUT THE COURSE HERE? THE RACE HERE, THE SETUP AND THE WAY THE RUNNERS ARE TREATED.
THEY JUST SAID IT'S REALLY FAST AND IT'S, IT'S A GREAT EVENT AND, UM, IT'S REALLY A FUN RACE TO BE A PART OF.
AND SO I THOUGHT IT'D BE A, A GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR ME TO GET OUT HERE AND RUN MY FIRST HALF.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WOULD MAKE A GREAT DAY FOR YOU, YOU AT, AT THE ARAMCO HOUSTON AF MARATHON? I'LL JUST COMPETE WITH THESE GUYS AS MUCH AS I CAN.
I THINK IF I DO THAT, I'LL RUN FAST.
WE EXPECT A GREAT WEEKEND FROM YOU IN THIS ELITE FIELD.
VINCENT NE GETTI, WE WELCOME YOU AS WELL.
VINCENT ARRIVES AS ONE OF THE PRE-RACE FAVORITES, VINCENT, SINCE YOU'VE HAD SUCH GREAT SUCCESS IN THE FULL MARATHON AROUND THE WORLD, WHY CHOOSE TO RUN THE HALF MARATHON HERE IN HOUSTON? I'M VERY HAPPY TO DO BEING FIGHT IN HOUSTON, SO IN
[00:45:01]
WEEKEND I WILL CHALLENGE MYSELF AFTER A LONG TIME RUNNING HALF MARATHON, SO I'LL DO MY BEST COME THE RACE RISK.I I WOULD KIND OF AMPLIFY THE, THE QUESTION THAT I ASKED CASEY, WHAT, WHAT DO OTHER RUNNERS TELL YOU ABOUT THE EVENT HERE IN HOUSTON? UH, OTHER RUNNERS TELLING ME ABOUT AUSTIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS TRAINING BACK, HE TOLD ME HOUSTON IS A FASTER COURSE, SO IT'S COMING AT CHALLENGE IF I CAN RUN GOOD TIME HERE IN HOUSTON.
WELL, WE WELCOME YOU AND WISH YOU THE VERY BEST THIS WEEKEND.
GALEN RUFF, WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS OLYMPIC MEDALIST IN 2012 AND IN 16.
WHAT KEEPS YOU COMING BACK FOR MORE AND WHY IN PARTICULAR DO YOU WANT WANT TO RUN HERE IN HOUSTON? I RAN HERE A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND, AND HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND I THINK IT'S PRETTY, PRETTY COMMON KNOWLEDGE IN THE RUNNING WORLD.
YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA RUN FAST, YOU COME HERE TO HOUSTON, EVERYBODY SEEMS TO RUN FAST HERE ACROSS THE BOARD AND YOU KNOW, WITH WHAT JIM AND ADRIAN, CARLY, EVERYBODY SET UP HERE, IT'S REALLY SET UP FOR EVERYBODY TO COMPETE WELL AND, AND HAVE A SUCCESSFUL DAY.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LITTLE THINGS LIKE THE HOTEL BEING SO CLOSE TO THE START LINE, YOU KNOW, IT'S EASY TO GET UP, GET THERE GOING.
THE WEATHER'S ALWAYS GOOD, COURSE IS FLAT AND THEY'VE GOT INCREDIBLE FIELDS AND LIKE THESE OTHER ATHLETES HAVE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TEND TO RELY ON EACH OTHER, YOU KNOW, TO RUN FAST AND IF WE CAN BE COMPETITIVE WITH EACH OTHER, PUSH EACH OTHER IN THE RACE, IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT DAY ON SUNDAY AND THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL WAY POSSIBLE.
THIS IS SUCH A LARGE QUESTION.
WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THAT, THAT YOU ENJOY SO MUCH ABOUT THIS SPORT? BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU KEEP COMING BACK FOR MORE AT, AT THE VERY HIGHEST LEVELS.
YEAH, I I MEAN I, I LOVE THE RUNNING COMMUNITY AND, AND I THINK THAT WHAT MAKES RUNNING SO SPECIAL FOR, FOR ANYBODY THAT'S INVOLVED IN THIS SPORT IS JUST, IT'S AS MUCH A BATTLE AGAINST YOURSELF AS IT IS AGAINST YOUR, YOUR COMPETITORS AND, AND, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF WHAT LEVEL YOU'RE AT, WHAT YOUR GOALS ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE THOSE PERSONAL GOALS AND THERE'S NO EASY WAY TO GET THERE.
AND I THINK PART OF THE FUN OF, OF BEING A RUNNER IS, YOU KNOW, CHALLENGING YOURSELF DAY IN AND DAY OUT AND, AND SOLVING THAT PROBLEM OF HOW CAN YOU GET TO YOUR GOALS NO MATTER WHAT THOSE ARE.
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S SUCH A BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT WHEN YOU TOTAL THE LINE, YOU KNOW, TO GET THERE HEALTHY.
AND THEN ACROSS THE FINISH LINE, YOU KNOW, AT AN EVENT LIKE A HALF MARATHON, A MARATHON, 5K, 10 K, WHATEVER YOUR GOAL IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET THERE AND YOU CROSS IT, THERE'S NO BETTER FEELING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MONTHS AND MONTHS AND SOMETIMES YEARS OF PREPARATION THAT I'VE GONE INTO IT.
AND, AND THAT'S A CHALLENGE THAT, THAT I STILL ENJOY.
YOU KNOW, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE TRAINING.
I LOVE DAY IN AND DAY OUT, GRINDING IT OUT, FIGURING OUT HOW I CAN BE THE BEST POSSIBLE ATHLETE I CAN BE.
AND, AND THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ME COMING BACK.
WELL, WE WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS. ONE MORE.
UH, YOU MENTIONED THE FAST COURSE, THE, THE GREAT SETUP, THE WAY THAT THE ORGANIZERS SET EVERYTHING UP FOR THESE FAST TIMES, GIVEN THE TEMPERATURES IN THE FORTIES.
WE UNDERSTAND, OF COURSE, LAST YEAR, CONNOR MAN SET THE AMERICAN RECORD HERE IN HOUSTON.
WHAT MIGHT YOU EXPECT GIVEN THE CONDITIONS THAT WE HOPE ARE ALMOST PERFECT ON SUNDAY? YEAH, I MEAN, WELL CONNOR RAN AN UNBELIEVABLE RACE LAST YEAR.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S ALWAYS REALISTIC TO THINK THAT AMERICAN RECORD'S GONNA FALL.
HE WAS ON A TEAR AND, AND HAD A, HAD A GREAT DAY HERE.
BUT, UH, I THINK WE'VE GOT A GREAT FIELD AND, AND AGAIN, THE WEATHER LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA BE BE GREAT ON SUNDAY AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GET OUT THERE.
WELL, WE CAN'T WAIT, OBVIOUSLY.
WELCOME AND CONTINUED SUCCESS.
WE WELCOME HATON SAMUEL AS WELL.
WE UNDERSTAND YOU'RE MAKING YOUR ROAD RACING DEBUT HERE IN HOUSTON AFTER A GREAT SUCCESS AT THE NCAA LEVEL.
HATON, WHAT DO YOU WANNA SHOW? THE RUNNING WORLD HERE IN HOUSTON? UH, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
AND YEAH, I JUST WANT TO SEE, UH, MYSELF JUST, UH, CHALLENGING MYSELF AND I JUST DECIDED TO, TO RUN THIS EASTERN HALF MARATHON BECAUSE IT'S REALLY WORKED FOR MY SCHEDULE AND IT'S ONE OF THE FASTEST, UH, UH, ROAD RACE AND FAMOUS AND I, I JUST, I JUST WANT TO TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT OTHER THAN THE COLLEGE, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS, THE, SINCE I JOINED THE COLLEGE, I'M STILL IN COLLEGE AND, AND IT'S KIND OF, UH, CROSS COUNTRY AND, AND TRACK, SO I LIKE TO SEE MYSELF ON A ROAD RACE, WHAT I CAN DO AND JUST ENJOY THE RACE.
WELL, WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU.
YOU, I UNDERSTAND YOU RECENTLY RAN A DECEMBER, AN IMPRESSIVE 5,000 METER RACE, UH, AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY.
TELL US HOW YOUR TRAINING HAS CHANGED TO ACCOMMODATE THE HALF MARATHON.
LIKE, UH, MY TRAINING IS, IS KIND OF PRETTY SIMILAR.
I JUST HAVE LIKE SOME HIGH VOLUME ON MY WORKOUTS, BUT KIND OF SIMILAR, THE SAME MILEAGE AND I, I JUST LEFT.
I DIDN'T CHANGE ANYTHING THAT MUCH, YOU KNOW, SO IN TWO WEEKS I'M GONNA BACK IN IN THREE FOR THE, FOR THE INDOOR AGAIN, SO I DIDN'T CHANGE THAT MUCH.
I JUST, UH, KEEP THE SAME TRAINING AND, AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN DO GOOD EVEN WITH THAT KIND OF TRAINING FOR THE HALF MARATHON FAST AT ALL DISTANCES, PERHAPS WE WELCOME YOU HAP SAMUEL, WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU QUESTIONS FROM OUR ASSEMBLED MEDIA FOR OUR ELITE FIELD AND THE ARAMCO HALF MARATHON.
BLUE BLAZER, UH, GALEN AND VINCENT, YOU'RE VETERANS OF THE HALF MARATHON DISTANCE, WHEREAS CASEY AND HAVE TO HIM IT'S YOUR, YOUR FIRST ONE.
UM, GALEN AND VINCENT, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO FIRST TIME HALF MARATHONERS ON SUNDAY? NOT JUST,
[00:50:01]
UH, HAP TO AND CASEY, BUT THE BROADER FIELD.UH, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU PASS ALONG? I MEAN, I DON'T THINK THESE GUYS NEED MY ADVICE.
YOU KNOW, I, I ALWAYS THINK THAT THE, THE HALF MARATHON IS, IS ACTUALLY PROBABLY BETTER SUITED FOR PEOPLE COMING UP FROM THE TRACK, YOU KNOW, 5K, 10 KI THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S MORE SIMILAR TO THAT THAN IT IS FOR A MARATHON.
UM, MARATHON IS MUCH MORE OF A PURE, UH, ENDURANCE RACE AND YOU KNOW, THE TRAINING IS A LOT DIFFERENT FOR THAT.
SO, UH, I ALWAYS FELT PERSONALLY THAT, YOU KNOW, MY BEST HALF MARATHONS CAME WHEN I WAS IN GREAT TRACK SHAPE, SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE, UH, WHAT HAP CAN DO TOMORROW.
UM, BUT IN GENERAL, YOU KNOW, I WOULD JUST SAY KIND OF THE SAME THING AS A MARATHON.
YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE, YOU CAN'T BE PRESSING THAT WHOLE WAY, YOU KNOW, IT ISN'T LIKE A TRACK RACE WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA BE SO CONSCIOUS EVERY LAP, CONSTANTLY WHERE YOUR POSITION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, BE RELAXED FOR THAT, FOR THAT FIRST HALF.
AND, AND SIMILAR TO A MARATHON, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULDN'T BE, YOU KNOW, EXERTING YOURSELF TOO MUCH BY HALFWAY, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE THERE BECAUSE THOSE, THOSE LAST FEW MILES CAN, CAN DEFINITELY, UH, FEEL LIKE A LONG WAYS.
ANY MORE QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, WE WOULD INVITE, UH, OUR ELITE RUNNERS TO, UH, PUT THOSE MICROPHONES DOWN IN YOUR CHAIRS, STEP FORWARD.
THEY'LL HAND YOU THE BIBS AND WE'LL TAKE THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH.
WELCOME AND, UH, CONTINUED SUCCESS ON RACE DAY HERE IN HOUSTON.
ABOUT OF A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR ELITE FIELD, THE MEN'S SIDE OF THE ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF MARATHON.
WE CONTINUE WITH THE ELITE FIELD ON THE WOMEN'S SIDE AFTER A STRONG THIRD PLACE FINISH A COUPLE HERE IN THE CHEVRON HOUSTON MARATHON THE LAST TWO YEARS.
WE WELCOME BOOZE ARIBA FROM ETHIOPIA.
WELCOME YET ANOTHER OLYMPIAN IN A FANTASTIC FIELD FROM ETHIOPIA.
WE WELCOME SGE GBRA SALAMA TO THE STAGE WITH US.
WELCOME A UNITED STATES OLYMPIAN.
WE WELCOME DAKOTA POPIN AND RETURNING TO HOUSTON AFTER A TOP FOUR FINISH LAST YEAR.
WE ALSO WELCOME AMANDA VESTRY ABOUT A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THEM AS A GROUP.
SO MUCH SUCCESS, YOUR GREAT TRACK RECORD HERE.
WHY DOES THE COURSE HERE IN HOUSTON SUIT YOU SO WELL? UH, EVERYTHING IS GREAT HERE.
WELL WELCOME, UH, TO YOUR, YOUR RACING HOME MUE, WE UNDERSTAND YOU TOOK, UH, A SIGNIFICANT BREAK TO START A FAMILY.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO RETURN TO, UH, ELITE RACING? UH, I FEEL LIKE I HAD NOT FINISHED ALL THE RUNNING I HAD TO DO BEFORE, SO I'VE COME BACK TO IT.
WELL, WE'RE CERTAINLY GLAD THAT YOU'RE BACK AND WE WELCOME YOU HERE TO HOUSTON.
WE CAN CONTINUE WITH SGI SALAMA THE 12TH FASTEST WOMAN IN HISTORY AT THE HALF MARATHON DISTANCE.
WHY IS THE HALF SUCH A GREAT FIT FOR YOU? THANK YOU.
I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE AND UM, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME.
AND THEN, UH, I RUN MOST OF, I RUN HALF MARATHON AND THEN BECAUSE I WILL BE TO, I WILL BE RUN HALF, I MEAN FOR MARATHON, FOR NICK TIME IN SUCH A GREAT FIELD THIS WEEKEND.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL DETERMINE OUR CHAMPION ON SUNDAY? THAT'S A GREAT, GREAT, GREAT QUESTION FOR ME.
IT'S OKAY BECAUSE, UH, MY TRAIN, MY TRAINING WAS, IT WAS SO HARD, SO I HOPE I WILL BE WIN.
WE WELCOME YOU TO HOUSTON AND WISH YOU THE BEST ON A RACE DAY.
UH, SINCE THE LAST TIME WE SAW HERE IN HOUSTON, YOU REPRESENTED THE UNITED STATES
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IN THE OLYMPICS, IN THE PARIS GAMES.HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE? UH, IT WAS EVERYTHING I HOPED FOR.
I PUT UP A PERFORMANCE THAT I WAS REALLY PROUD OF.
UM, AND YOU WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS DREAM AND FOR IT ALL TO COME TO FRUITION.
I MEAN, IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE.
DO YOU, DO YOU LEAVE THE OLYMPIC EXPERIENCE AS A MORE CONFIDENT COMPETITOR? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK IT, IT MEANS SOMETHING TO WALK ONTO A STARTING LINE KNOWING THAT I'M AN OLYMPIAN AND THAT'S SOMETHING I GET TO CARRY FOREVER AND I HAVE COMPETED WITH THE BEST.
SO THERE'S NOTHING, I MEAN, THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T DO.
FOUR STRAIGHT YEARS, THE AMERICAN RECORD HAS FALLEN HERE IN THE ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF MARATHON.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'LL SEE ON SUNDAY GIVEN THE CONDITIONS WE EXPECT TEMPERATURES IN THE FORTIES TO BEGIN.
I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THE AMERICAN RECORD WAS NOT SET ONCE AGAIN HERE.
HOW ABOUT THAT FOR A DECLARATION? WE WELCOME YOU AND WISH YOU THE BEST.
AMANDA VESTRY FOURTH HERE IN HOUSTON LAST YEAR.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CAPABLE OF THIS WEEKEND? WELL, WE'LL FIND OUT FOR SURE ON SUNDAY, BUT UM, I'VE BEEN TRAINING HARD FOR IT AND YEAH, I HAD A GREAT TIME LAST YEAR AND WAS STILL REALLY NEW TO THE DISTANCE.
IT WAS ONLY MY SECOND TIME RUNNING A HALF, SO, UM, REALLY EXCITED TO COME BACK HERE AGAIN THIS WEEKEND AND, UM, YEAH, JUST USE THAT, UH, LITTLE BIT MORE OF EXPERIENCE TO RUN A FAST TIME HOPEFULLY ON SUNDAY.
UH, AND IN BASIC TERMS, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ELITE FIELD? THE LEVEL OF COMPETITION THAT YOU'LL BE A PART OF? YEAH, I THINK IT'S SUPER STACKED.
UM, LIKE ALL THESE LADIES HAVE SAID, UH, IT'S GONNA BE A FAST RACE I ASSUME, AND UH, WE'LL HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE UP FRONT, UH, PUSHING THE PACE LIKELY.
GIVEN THESE CONDITIONS, THE FAST COURSE, MIGHT WE SEE A, A NEW AMERICAN RECORD FOR A FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR? I DO NOT KNOW, BUT WE WILL FIND OUT.
I'M NOT GONNA MAKE ANY PROCLAMATIONS, BUT WE'LL SEE.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE ASSEMBLED MEDIA? ONE RIGHT THERE? YOU TALKED ABOUT THE AMERICAN RECORD.
WHAT ABOUT THE COURSE RECORD OR HOW FAST TO ALL FOUR OF YOU, HOW FAST DO YOU THINK THE RACE CAN GO ON SUNDAY? WHAT'S THE COURSE RECORD? WHAT IS THE COURSE RECORD SAID? 65 64 SOMETHING.
64 AND CHANGE, RIGHT? 64 0 9 TO GO TO GO AHEAD, JUMP ON THAT.
I, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY HIGH BAR, BUT WHEN YOU GET A LOT OF AMAZING WOMEN TOGETHER, ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.
WHAT ABOUT BOOZY AND UH, SGI? I THINK, UH, THE WEATHER THERE IS SO NICE.
I SAW THIS MORNING, SO, UH, IT'LL BE BROKE COURSE.
YEAH, I'M TRYING MY BEST
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT INSIGHTS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE IN, UH, A REMARKABLE RACE HERE AT THE ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF MARATHON.
WE INVITE YOU TO PUT YOUR MICROPHONES DOWN, STEP FORWARD FOR THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH, BUT A GREAT ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR ELITE FIELD WOMEN'S SIDE OF THE ARAMCO HOUSTON HALF MARATHON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND.
THAT WILL CONCLUDE, UH, THIS MORNING'S EVENT.
WE THANK EVERYONE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO A, UH, GREAT RACE WEEKEND.
DON'T FORGET TO WATCH THAT LIVE BROADCAST IF YOU'RE NOT DOWN AT THE EVENT ON A BC 13 HOUSTON.