Ethiopian athletes have won both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races at the past seven editions of the Chevron Houston Marathon; a trend that looks set to continue at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on 17 January.Birhanu Gedefa and Bazu Worku, who between them have won the past three Houston titles, lead the men&rsquo;s field.Gedefa was something of a surprise winner last year, clawing back a 14-second deficit in the last couple of miles to win in a lifetime best of 2:08:03. But the rest of his 2015 campaign wasn&rsquo;t quite as successful. He finished fifth over 10km in Toronto in April and at the Beijing Marathon in September.Fellow Ethiopian Worku, winner of the Houston Marathon in 2014 and 2013, owns the fastest PB of the field. The 25-year-old clocked 2:05:25 when finishing third in Berlin in 2010, while his fastest time in Houston came when he successfully defended his title in 2014, running 2:07:32.He will be aiming to become just the third man in the 44-year history of the race to win three times in Houston.Girmay Birhanu also stands a good chance of maintaining the Ethiopian dominance in Houston. He finished two places behind Worku at last year&rsquo;s Dubai Marathon, but went on to have a more successful season than his compatriot. He won in Daegu with 2:07:26 and then in Ottawa in 2:08:14 before ending his season with a fourth-place finish at the Chicago Marathon.His best of 2:05:49, set at the 2014 Dubai Marathon, makes him one of just two men in the field with a PB faster than the course record of 2:06:51, set by Tariku Jufar in 2012.After finishing fifth in 2014 and fourth in 2015, Kenya&rsquo;s Dominic Ondoro will look to at least make the podium this time, and perhaps even break the seven-year winning streak by Ethiopian athletes in Houston. The 27-year-old has a PB of 2:08:00, set when winning the 2013 Tibeiras Marathon.Poland&rsquo;s Artur Kozlowski leads the European challenge, while Ethiopia&rsquo;s Yitayal Atnafu is one of a handful of debutants who could spring a surprise.<h3>Shone&rsquo;s chance to shine</h3>Although 2015 winner Yebrqual Melese won&rsquo;t defend her title, three of the top-four finishers from last year will return to Houston.Guteni Shone smashed her PB by seven minutes to take second place in 2:23:32 in Houston last year, just nine seconds behind the winner. Three months later, the 24-year-old comfortably won the Seoul Marathon in 2:26:22.If she sets out at a similar pace to last year, Shone could even challenge the course record of 2:23:14, set by Alemitu Abera in 2012.Compatriot Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa will also be returning to Houston. She finished fourth in 2014 and third in 2015, setting personal bests on both occasions. If she continues that trend on Sunday, she will be a serious contender for victory.Sechale Dalasa, who finished fourth in 2015, is also aiming to do better than last year. A 2:26:27 runner at best, she is yet to win a marathon, but her best finishes to date have all been in North American races.Australia&rsquo;s Lisa Weightman will be contesting her first marathon for more than two years. She set her PB of 2:26:05 in her most recent race over the classic distance, the 2013 Melbourne Marathon.<h3>Dibaba to make first post-Beijing appearance</h3>In the Aramco Houston Half Marathon held on the same day, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mare Dibaba will be contesting her first race since winning the marathon at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015. The Ethiopian has a PB of 1:07:13, which is more than a minute faster than the course record of 1:08:26 set in 2012 by Belaynesh Oljira.World half-marathon silver medallist Mary Wacera and fellow Kenyan Cynthia Limo, the fastest woman in the field with a PB of 1:07:02 are also entered. Buzunesh Deba, the 2014 Boston Marathon runner-up, will be contesting her first half marathon in Houston, having finished second in the marathon in 2013.Lelisa Desisa leads the men&rsquo;s field. The Boston Marathon champion is undefeated in the half marathon since 2012 and has a PB of 59:30 for the distance. But compatriot Mosinet Geremew, who has a personal best of 59:11, will be the fastest man in the field.USA&rsquo;s 2015 winner Diego Estrada will return to Houston to defend his title, having won 12 months ago with a PB of 1:00:51.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Ethiopian athletes have won both the men’s and women’s races at the past seven editions of the Chevron Houston Marathon; a trend that looks set to continue at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on 17 January.

Another Ethiopian double looks likely in Houston

The past two men&rsquo;s champions and three of the top four women from the 2015 edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon will return to the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on 17 January.&ldquo;The group that our elite athlete committee has assembled, including a two-time men&rsquo;s marathon winner and the second and third-place finishers from the 2015 women&rsquo;s marathon, are undoubtedly capable of high-level performances and we can only hope for optimal conditions,&rdquo; said race director Brant Kotch.&ldquo;We are also particularly eager to see what the international stars can do on our half marathon course: we have Boston Marathon and World Championships marathon winners on display in those races. All of the races have the potential to be lightning-fast.&rdquo;Bazu Worku, the winner in 2013 in 2014, will look to become just the third man in the 44-year history of the race to win three times in Houston.Fellow Ethiopian Birhanu Gedefa will seek to emulate Worku in successfully defending his title.Out to challenge them will be 2015 Daegu Marathon champion Girmay Birhanu of Ethiopia, who owns a personal best of 2:05:49 from his third-place finish at the 2014 Dubai Marathon.Kenya&rsquo;s Dominic Ondoro will look to break the seven-year winning streak by Ethiopian athletes in Houston. The 27-year-old finished just outside the podium last year and has a PB of 2:08:00.Guteni Shone, the runner-up in 2015, leads the women&rsquo;s field. Back in January the 24-year-old smashed her PB by seven minutes to take second place in 2:23:32 in Houston, just nine seconds behind the winner. Three months later, Shone comfortably won the Seoul Marathon.Compatriot Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa, who also set a PB in Houston 12 months ago to finish third, will return to US soil, as will 2015 fourth-place finisher Sechale Dalasa.Australia&rsquo;s Lisa Weightman will be contesting her first marathon for more than two years. She set her PB of 2:26:05 in her most recent race over the classic distance, the 2013 Melbourne Marathon.<h3>High-quality half marathon</h3>Held on the same day as the marathon, the Aramco Houston Half Marathon boasts a quality line-up for both the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s races.Mare Dibaba will be contesting her first race since winning the world marathon title in Beijing. The Ethiopian has a PB of 1:07:13, which is more than a minute faster than the course record of 1:08:26 set in 2012 by Belaynesh Oljira.World half-marathon silver medallist Mary Wacera and fellow Kenyan Cynthia Limo, the fastest woman in the field with a PB of 1:07:02 are also entered. Buzunesh Deba, the 2014 Boston Marathon runner-up, will be contesting her first half marathon in Houston, having finished second in the marathon in 2013.Lelisa Desisa leads the men&rsquo;s field. The Boston Marathon champion is undefeated in the half marathon since 2012 and has a PB of 59:30 for the distance.But compatriot Mosinet Geremew, who has a personal best of 59:11, will be the fastest man in the field.USA&rsquo;s 2015 winner Diego Estrada will return to Houston to defend his title, having won 12 months ago with a PB of 1:00:51.Organisers for the IAAF<h3>Marathon elite field (with PBs)</h3>Men Bazu Worku (ETH) 2:05:25 Girmay Birhanu (ETH) 2:05:49 Dominic Ondoro (KEN) 2:08:00 Birhanu Gedefa (ETH) 2:08:03 Artur Kozlowski (POL) 2:10:58 Mario Macias (USA) 2:15:55 Sage Canaday (USA) 2:16:52 Pardon Ndhlovu (ZIM) 2:16:52 Yitayal Atnafu (ETH) debut Jovanny Godinez (USA) debut Duncan Kwemboi (KEN) debutWomen Guteni Shone (ETH) 2:23:32 Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa (ETH) 2:23:51 Lisa Weightman (AUS) 2:26:05 Sechale Dalasa (ETH) 2:26:27 Emily Samoei (KEN) 2:26:52 Rachel Hannah (CAN) 2:33:30 Ayantu Dakebo (ETH) 2:33:59 Jovana De La Cruz (PER) 2:35:03 Ariana Hilborn (USA) 2:35:21

The past two men’s champions and three of the top four women from the 2015 edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon will return to the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on 17 January.

Gedefa, Worku and Shone lead Houston Marathon fields

Near-perfect conditions yielded speedy performances at the 43rd Chevron Houston Marathon as Yebrqual Melese ran the second-fastest time ever by a woman in Houston and Birhanu Gedefa outkicked Gebo Burka to take the men&rsquo;s title at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday (18).It was the seventh straight sweep of the titles by Ethiopia. In fact, they filled the top five places in the women&rsquo;s race and the three podium positions in the men&rsquo;s contest.An Ethiopian victory in the women&rsquo;s race came as no surprise as a leading group of five athletes from the East African nation formed early on. Led by former Toronto Marathon runner-up Sechale Dalasa, the quintet passed through 5km in 17:23, 10km in 34:28 and half way in 1:12:43.Former Los Angeles Marathon winner Fatuma Sado was the first to drop from the pack, slipping behind after 25km. Biruktayit Degefa Eshetu attempted to make a break soon after and at 30km she had a 14-second margin over her three compatriots, but she was soon reeled in by Guteni Shone Imana as the pair passed through 35km in 1:59:43.Melese, who at 30km was some 17 seconds behind the leaders, then made her move. Having already dropped Dalasa, she closed in on Eshetu and eventually fought off the challenge of Shone on the way to a 2:23:23 victory, taking almost three minutes off her PB.Shone finished second in 2:23:32, the third-fastest time ever at Houston and a seven-minute improvement on her previous best. Eshetu also dipped under the 2:24 barrier with a 2:23:51 clocking that moved her to fifth on the race&rsquo;s list of fastest times.Kellyn Taylor had an impressive debut to place sixth at 2:28:40 as the top US woman, three minutes ahead of 2014 US half-marathon champion Serena Burla, who crossed the line in 2:31:46 in seventh. Lindsay Flanagan and Taylor Ward were the other US women in the top 10, taking ninth (2:33:12) and 10th (2:38:30) respectively. Gedefa was content to run with the pack for the early part of the race, cruising through the halfway point in 1:03:20. He stayed with the leaders through 30km at 1:31:06 and was six seconds behind Debebe Tolossa with more than four miles to go.Burka made a strong push and pulled away from the pack, opening up a 14-second lead by 40km, but Gedefa fought back and passed Burka in the final 400 meters to win in 2:08:03, a lifetime best and the eighth-fastest time ever at Houston. Burka&rsquo;s 2:08:12 made him the ninth-fastest in race history, while Tolossa was third in 2:09:07. Kenya&rsquo;s Dominic Ondoro also ran faster than 2:10, taking fourth place in 2:09:40. Last year&rsquo;s half marathon runner-up, Aaron Braun, moved up in distance to great effect, finishing as the top US man in 2:12:54 for seventh place, running negative splits to chop almost seven minutes off his personal best. Craig Leon also nabbed a top-10 finish for the US with his ninth-place 2:14:43. <h3>Estrada and Conley win US half-marathon titles</h3>Two different races produced two superb results in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, which served as the US Championship race for the ninth time for men and seventh time for women. Diego Estrada shot to the lead after running with the pack for the first 5km at 14:41, opening a 20-second gap by 10km (28:51) and stretching that margin to 45 seconds over Jared Ward at the 15km mark (43:14).He tacked on five more seconds to his cushion by 20km (57:45) and eased to the finish at 1:00:51, the third-fastest time ever by US man and the third-fastest ever in Houston. Ward finished well to clock 1:01:42 on his debut at the distance to move to ninth on the all-time Houston list, and Girma Mecheso was third in 1:02:16. Three-time champion Meb Keflezighi was fighting a cold and a sore back as he pursued his fourth US title and third straight, but battled through to take fourth place in 1:02:18. US 10,000m champion Kim Conley bided her time through 10 miles at a fast pace, running with the leaders through 5km in 16:45 and 10km in 33:27. She shared the lead with 2006 champion Annie Bersagel at 15km (50:08) and then pulled away over the next 5km, running 16:12 for that portion of the race to pass 20km at 1:06:20 with a 22-second lead.Conley was powerful through the finish, crossing the line in 1:09:44 for the fifth-fastest time ever in Houston and the second-fastest by a US woman in the race. Brianne Nelson trimmed more than two minutes off her lifetime best to take second place in 1:10:16, and Janet Bawcom was third in 1:10:46.Organisers for the IAAF

Near-perfect conditions yielded speedy performances at the 43rd Chevron Houston Marathon as Yebrqual Melese ran the second-fastest time ever by a woman in Houston and Birhanu Gedefa outkicked Gebo Burka to take the men’s title at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race on Sunday (18).

Another Ethiopian double looks likely in Houston

Gedefa, Worku and Shone lead Houston Marathon fields

Melese and Gedefa win in Houston as Ethiopians sweep again