Moh Ahmed to make half-marathon debut at Aramco Houston Half

Canada’s most decorated distance runner on the track, Moh Ahmed, is stepping up in distance. On Jan. 14, the 33-year-old Olympic silver medallist will make his half-marathon debut at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

Ahmed has had an illustrious career on the track, winning Olympic silver and setting Canadian records over 5,000m and 10,000m, but has not raced on the roads much. Outside of a few local road races and winning the Canadian men’s 10K title last year, Ahmed has not yet tested himself over 21.1 or 42.2 km.

“The Aramco Houston Half-Marathon sits at an ideal point on the calendar, and should allow me to test the fitness I’ve built up from a great fall of training,” Ahmed said in a statement on his half-marathon debut. “I know the course is a fast one, and so if the weather is good, I look forward to mixing it up with the other guys up front and seeing what I can do on the streets of Space City.”

Houston is known as one of the fastest and most competitive half-marathons in North America, and Ahmed will get the opportunity to challenge the Canadian record of 60:18 held by Cam Levins. Three of the last five winning times in Houston have been under the Canadian record mark; the course record is 59:22, from Rio Olympic marathon silver medallist Feyisa Lilesa in 2012.

Ahmed will face a strong field of competition, with many American runners using the Houston Half as a tune-up for next month’s U.S. Olympic trials in Orlando, Fla., including 2016 Olympic marathon bronze medallist Galen Rupp and the top North American finisher at the 2023 Ottawa Marathon, Parker Stinson. He will also face Abel Kipchumba of Kenya, whose 58:07 personal best leads a strong East African contingent. Kipchumba won the B.A.A. Half Marathon last November and was fifth at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.

Canada’s Rory Linkletter, who holds a personal best of 61:08, will also be in the men’s elite field, in preparation for the Sevilla Marathon on Feb. 18, where he hopes to achieve the Olympic standard of 2:08:10.

Ahmed turned 33 on Friday.

You can view the full list of elites for the Aramco Houston Half Marathon here.