Will the Canadian half-marathon record fall at Houston Half?

After edging Cam Levins by a single second at the 2025 Canadian Half-Marathon Championships in August, Rory Linkletter is once again set to go head-to-head with the Canadian record holder. On Friday, the pair of runners were announced as part of the elite field for this Sunday’s 2026 Aramco Half-Marathon in Houston, posing a serious threat to the national half-marathon record.

Canada’s two fastest distance runners

Levins holds the Canadian records in both the marathon and half-marathon distances–2:05:36 and 1:00:18, respectively–both set in 2023. Linkletter isn’t far behind, ranking as Canada’s second-fastest marathoner (2:06:49) and half-marathoner (1:00:57) of all time; he ran his half-marathon best at the 2025 Marugame Half Marathon in Japan.

Who is in top form?

Linkletter won the 2025 Canadian half-marathon crown in 1:03:00, with Levins right behind in 1:03:01. Linkletter’s most recent competition was the 4.737-mile (~7.6 km) Manchester Road Race in late November, and he also raced the Chicago Marathon in October, where he ran his personal best of 2:06:49 to place ninth.

In contrast, Levins has not competed since September’s 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, where he placed 12th in 2:11:07.

Last year in Houston, no Canadians placed in the top 10 in either the men’s or women’s half-marathon races. This year, Levins is listed as the fourth-fastest entry, sitting behind Vincent Ngetich of Kenya and U.S. athletes Galen Rupp and Hillary Bor. Linkletter comes in at 11th.

Mawhinney to take on Chevron Houston Marathon

Erin Mawhinney, the 2025 Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon champion, is the lone Canadian woman set to compete in Houston. Named to the women’s marathon elite field, Mawhinney comes off a DNF at last month’s 2025 Marathon Project and enters Houston ranked as the sixth-fastest elite woman, with a personal best of 2:36:14. Excluding the Marathon Project, this will be only her second marathon since making her debut in Toronto in 2024.

The full list of elites can be found here. The race will be broadcast live on ABC13, abc13.com, and ESPN+.