Before we get to Boston, the elite American [half-]marathoning circuit kicks off this Sunday in Houston, Texas, where fast times historically abound thanks to pancake flat topography, mild Texas “winters,” and top-tier talent converging from all across the country and world. And while the rest of us were deep in winter hibernation, plenty of the sport’s best and brightest spent their holiday season with one weekend in January circled on the calendar. 

CITIUS MAG’s been cooking up an exciting behind-the-scenes docuseries following Conner Mantz, Clayton Young, and Joe Klecker as they prepare for the Houston Half. [Check out the trailer here, and stay tuned for the first episode, which premieres later today… like, subscribe, etcetera!] Klecker has already gone on record stating that the American record—59:43, set by Ryan Hall back at this same race in 2007—is something he’s been training toward in his debut at the distance.

But perhaps the most likely American record performance may come from the very athlete who already holds the women’s mark: Weini Kelati. At Houston last year—are you sensing a trend here?—Kelati ran 1:06:25 in her debut at the distance, kicking off a banner year highlighted by an eighth-place finish in the Olympic 10,000m. With her confidence buoyed and another full year of training under her belt, Kelati seems poised for a big day. 

Chris Chavez chatted with Kelati’s coach, Stephen Haas, to check in on what fans might expect come Sunday, and learn a bit more about Kelati’s preparation with her Under Armour Mission Run Dark Sky Distance teammates in Flagstaff, Arizona. (Read the full interview here.) 

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