What a morning for road racing in Houston! On January 11, 2026, the Aramco Houston Half-Marathon delivered a flurry of record-breaking performances and dramatic finishes, with Eritrean sensation Habtom Samuel and Canada’s Rory Linkletter stealing the spotlight on a brisk, clear Sunday. The event—already a fixture for fast times—witnessed not only a new course record but also a historic moment for Canadian distance running, as Linkletter became the first Canadian man to break the 60-minute barrier for the half-marathon.
Let’s start with the headline act. Habtom Samuel, a name well known in U.S. collegiate circles but a newcomer to the international road racing scene, made his half-marathon and road racing debut in Houston. And what a debut it was! Samuel surged to victory with a stunning time of 59:01, setting a new course record and marking his sixth consecutive win in any distance this school year. “I just wanted to try something different,” Samuel explained at the prerace press conference on Friday, adding that Houston fit well into his competitive schedule. Those words proved prophetic as he crossed the finish line, arms raised in triumph, and etched his name into the record books.
The magnitude of Samuel’s achievement is hard to overstate. Not only did he break the course record for the second consecutive year—a record that had previously stood unchallenged since 2012—but he did so in his very first foray into road racing. Samuel, already the 2025 NCAA cross country champion and the 2024 NCAA outdoor 10,000-meter titleholder, displayed the poise and tactical acumen of a seasoned veteran. Including his collegiate victories, Samuel has yet to lose a race of any length during the 2025-2026 school year. That’s six straight wins, capped by this remarkable performance in Houston.
But Samuel wasn’t the only athlete making history on Sunday. Rory Linkletter of Canada delivered a jaw-dropping run, clocking 59:49 to shatter the Canadian half-marathon record. With this performance, Linkletter became the first Canadian man to dip under the 60-minute mark for the distance—a barrier that had long seemed just out of reach for the nation’s top distance stars. His time eclipsed Cam Levins’s previous national record of 1:00:18, set in Vancouver in 2023, and marked a nearly one-minute improvement on Linkletter’s own personal best of 1:00:57, which he set at the Marugame Half-Marathon in Japan in early 2025.
“I came knowing it was possible—weather and race came together,” Linkletter told Canadian Running after the race. “Really proud. Felt like it was a long time coming. I’ve always believed I could run sub-60; it feels great to do it.” The sentiment was palpable as Linkletter crossed the line, his face a mix of exhaustion and elation. The run also continued a friendly but fierce rivalry between Linkletter and Cam Levins, Canada’s fastest marathoner. Levins, who finished 17th overall in Houston with a time of 1:00:58, had previously set the Canadian half-marathon record and remains a formidable presence in North American distance running.
The Houston showdown was just the latest chapter in their ongoing rivalry. At the 2025 Canadian Half-Marathon Championships, Linkletter edged Levins by a mere second, winning in 1:03:00 to Levins’s 1:03:01. Since then, Linkletter has kept up a busy racing schedule, highlighted by a ninth-place, 2:06:49 finish at the Chicago Marathon in October—making him Canada’s second fastest marathoner ever—and a late-season appearance at the Manchester Road Race in November. Levins, meanwhile, had not raced since September’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he finished 12th in the marathon, before toeing the line in Houston.
The men’s race itself was a tactical affair, with Kenya’s Patrick Kiprop breaking open a small lead midway through. Kiprop, who looked strong with an eight-to-nine second gap over a chasing pack that included Samuel, ultimately couldn’t hold off the Eritrean’s late charge. Samuel surged ahead in the final stretch, finishing 13 seconds clear of Kiprop, who claimed second in 59:14. Mohammed El Youssfi of Morocco rounded out the podium in 59:21, while Alex Maier emerged as the top American finisher, clocking 59:23 and narrowly missing the U.S. half-marathon record. “I didn’t really know until I actually saw the clock at the finish just how close I was,” Maier reflected after the race.
Further down the field, Haimro Alame—last year’s Chevron Houston Marathon champion—finished 12th in the half-marathon with a time of 1:00:33, showing the depth and quality of the field assembled in Houston this year. The event’s reputation for fast times and fierce competition continues to grow, drawing elite runners from across the globe and providing a stage for both seasoned pros and rising stars.
The women’s race brought its own drama and speed, with Ethiopia’s Fantaye Belayneh taking the win in 1:04:49. She was closely followed by compatriot Tsigie Gebreselama, who finished just three seconds back in 1:04:52. Buze Diriba Kejela, also of Ethiopia, claimed third in 1:05:57. Diriba, for her part, has been enjoying a stellar season, having won the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October 2025 with a personal best of 2:23:11—a five-minute improvement over her previous best. The Ethiopian contingent’s strong showing in Houston cements their dominance on the international road racing scene.
The 2026 Aramco Houston Half-Marathon will be remembered for its blend of breakthrough performances and compelling storylines. Samuel’s course record in his first road race, Linkletter’s national milestone, and the tight battles throughout the men’s and women’s fields all contributed to an unforgettable morning of racing. As the dust settles and athletes look ahead to the rest of the season, fans and competitors alike will be talking about Houston’s fast course, its knack for producing records, and the new stars who rose to the occasion.
With the spring racing calendar just around the corner, the performances in Houston have set the tone for what promises to be an electrifying year in distance running. Whether it’s the rise of a new champion or the rewriting of national records, one thing’s for sure: the world of road racing is alive with excitement and possibility.
