HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — In a year where the United States of America is set to celebrate its 250th birthday, the men’s winner for the 54th Chevron Houston Marathon Sunday couldn’t be more fitting.
Just after 9 a.m., Zouhair Talbi became the first American man to win the Chevron Houston Marathon since 2002. He also set a course record with his time of 2:05:45.
“I knew I had under 2:06:00 in me, and I was just trying to find the perfect time, perfect race. That’s why I chose Houston. The course, I know it’s fast,” said Talbi, who credited the pacers for helping him stay on track.
This was truly a fight to the finish, with lead changes between Talbi and 29-year-old Adane Kebede Gebre of Ethiopia.
Gebre finished with a time of 2:06:16.
But Talbi told ABC13’s Bob Slovak Gebre being hot on his trail helped fuel him to the finish.
“I’m grateful for the competition. That’s when I dug deeper,” Talbi said, explaining he felt it was too early to be aggressive once Gebre pulled ahead so that’s why he waited before kicking into gear as they neared the latter portion of the race.
But Talbi emerged victorious.
“Can you go any faster?” Bob asked Talbi in the post-race interview.
“Maybe I’ll come next time and try to go even faster,” Talbi said with a smile.
Talbi returned to the Chevron Houston Marathon as an American citizen after emigrating to the United States in 2025 and joining the Army reserves.
“It was my first time carrying the U.S. flag, which has been a dream for me since I came to this country,” Talbi said wearing the signature Stetson cowboy hat given to winners and draped in the American flag. “I’m very grateful. I’m very proud, and grateful for today.”
Talbi has a rich history with this race.
He won in Houston in 2024 with a personal best of 2:06:39, and since then, has competed in the Olympic marathon for his home country of Morocco.
Talbi scored a top 10 finish in the Boston Marathon and also recently won the Bank of America 13.1 in Chicago.
This was also a family affair as Talbi’s wife, Elizabeth, competed and beat her previous time.
Great Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery took the crown, or shall we say, the Stetson cowboy hat, as the women’s champion of the Chevron Houston Marathon.
Hauger-Thackery won with a time of of 2:24:17.
She and her husband, who served as her pacer, embraced after she crossed the finish line.
Hauger-Thackery was set to compete in the 2025 Aramco Houston Half Marathon until a bout with the flu changed her plans and she ended up pacing the 2:23 group in the Chevron Houston Marathon instead.
Clad in her cowboy hat, Hauger-Thackery also praised the weather gods for the cooler temperatures that created the perfect backdrop for runners.
Hauger-Thackery was especially thankful after competing in Hawaii’s humidity less than a month ago. There, she won the 2025 JAL Honolulu Marathon.
She was an All-American at the University of New Mexico.
While an American women didn’t win the Chevron Houston Marathon, the U.S. was still in the conversation.
Sara Hall broke the master’s record by about two minutes. The master’s record, which was 2:28:42 before Hall’s run, is for those 40 years and older.
In the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, the first winner of race day Sunday crossed the finish line just before 7:45 a.m.
Eritrea’s Habtom Samuel, 22, pulled away from the competition to take first place with a time of 59:01.
This was not only Samuel’s half marathon debut, it was also his first road race.
Samuel is the reigning NCAA Cross Country Champion, having secured that title in Columbia, MO in November. He runs for the University of New Mexico Lobos team.
Last year, four men broke a record that lasted until 2010, but Samuel’s time quickly shattered that to set the course record.
After crossing the finish line, Samuel took off on a brief victory sprint, proudly lifting his country’s flag.
But the men are not the only ones who made it a thrilling finish.
On the women’s side, Fantaye Belayneh of Ethiopia and Tsigie Gebreselama, also of Ethiopia, battled to the end, but it was the former who emerged in first place.
Belayneh finished with a time of 1:04:49, just edging out Gebreselama.
The times for the women were just shy of setting a record, according to marathon officials.
The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon are world class events in the middle of the Bayou City.
According to organizers, at 30,000 athletes took part in race day in front of 250,000 spectators.
It follows a longstanding tradition after the first marathon was held in 1972 at Memorial Park.
Runners from all 50 states and 52 countries participated.
The oldest runner this year was 88 years old.
If you miss ABC13’s live coverage of the Chevron Houston Marathon, check out the replay at 6 p.m. Sunday to see anything you may have missed – or maybe to even catch yourself during the run! Watch where you stream ABC13.
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