Houston Marathon 2020 Results: Men's and Women's Top Finishers

A pair of runners from Ethiopia took first place at the 2020 Houston Marathon.

Kelkile Gezahegn was the best in the field Sunday, winning the men's race with a time of 2:08:36. Askale Merachi was the top women's finisher after running all 26.2 miles in 2:23:29, beating out three different women who were within two minutes of first place.

Craig Hunt (2:17:18) was the top American man in eighth overall while edging Joseph Niemiec by just five seconds. Adriana Nelson-Pirtea earned the title of fastest American women with a time of 2:33:18.

Here is a look at the top finishers in each category.

Top Male Finishers

1. Kelkile Gezahegn (2:08:36)

2. Bronsa Dida (2:10:37)

3. Amanuel Mesel (2:11:04)

4. Benson Seurei (2:11:51)

5. Stephen Scullion (2:11:52)

Top Female Finishers

1. Askale Merachi (2:23:29)

2. Biruktayit Degefa Eshetu (2:24:47)

3. Malindi Elmore (2:24:50)

4. Meseret Belete (2:24:54)

5. Bekelech Gudeta (2:29:22)

Full results available at the event's official site.

Gezahegn had an impressive performance in Houston with a pace of four minutes and 55 seconds per mile. He was in second place at the halfway mark and third at 15.5 miles, but he was on fire the rest of the way to end up in front of the pack at the finish line.

The 23-year-old has performed well on the international scene, winning a Slovenian marathon last October while adding victories in China and Germany. However, he had never competed in an American marathon until this one.

It seems the different geography didn't affect him at all as he was able to add another title to his resume.

Merachi also turned heads with her performance, extending an incredible run of success from Ethiopian women:

While the race was usually close, Merachi led at every single checkpoint Sunday as part of an inspiring effort from the 33-year-old.

After setting a course record with her win at the Los Angeles marathon last year, she shaved almost another full minute off her time in 2020.

In third place in the women's division was Malindi Elmore, who set a national record with her performance.

With thousands of other runners competing on the difficult course, it was a memorable day of action in the Texas event.