Early January Races
The marathon season commenced last weekend in Dubai, a common debut marathon for emerging stars. This past weekend saw the road racing season intensify. The first event was the Mumbai Marathon/Half Marathon and 10K, with participation from over 10,000 runners. In the men's category, Nike secured the top three positions, all wearing the Alpha Fly Next % 3. In the women's category, adidas claimed the top spot with the adizero adios Pro 3, while Asics took the next two positions with the Metaspeed Sky Paris.
The Houston Marathon and half marathon took place in Texas. The Marathon featured a small group of professional runners, but this group will be significantly larger next year when the Olympic qualifying window opens. In the half marathon, both the men's and women's second-place finishers set new American records for the distance. Conner Mantz broke Ryan Hall's record with a time of 59:17. Notably, this was the first time Mantz was seen wearing the Alpha Fly Next % 3. Previously, he had worn the original Alpha Fly Next % at the Olympic Trials, the Olympics, and the New York City Marathon, skipping the Alpha Fly Next % 2 to move directly to the third version. The men's race winner, Addisu Gobena, also wore the Alpha Fly Next % 3. Weini Kelati broke the American Record for women as well, surpassing her own record set at the same race last year. Weini competes for Under Armour.
In Carlsbad, California, two races took place, but there were no notable times or finishes this year. In previous years, many professional triathletes have participated and won these races. Unfortunately, the Rose Bowl Half Marathon was postponed due to the wildfires. While most runners were understanding, some were understandably upset. The event director delayed the decision as long as possible, hoping to proceed with the race. Ultimately, the Rose Bowl parking lot, which is used for the event, is currently serving as a disaster relief area, which is far more important than a running race at this time.
