A cold, breezy morning in Houston couldn’t slow down record breaking fields or the ZAP team. Amanda Vestri, Andrew Colley and Ryan Ford all set personal bests in the half marathon and Josh Izewski set a marathon personal best. All 4 performances were also faster than the previous ZAP records.
Houston has a reputation for being fast. Despite starting temperatures hovering just above freezing with a stiff northern breeze, the world-class fields delivered on Sunday. The half marathon was less impacted by the wind than the marathon was, and finishing times reflected as much. Arguably the deepest half marathon in the world saw the all time US lists rewritten.
Both half marathon events were billed as American record attempts, and both culminated in record fashion. Despite the cold weather the men were out fast with Andrew Colley chasing the lead pack through 5k, which he passed right on American record pace in 14:05. By 5k the lead group was already pulling away, but Andrew was able to link up with a small chase pack as they passed 10k together in 28:15. They were still on pace to break 1 hour, but with strong headwinds forecasted from miles 9-11 things slowed in the 2nd half. Ryan Ford hung back in a large chase pack, passing 5k in 14:31. Ryan along with a group of 10 athletes, passed 10k in 28:46.
In the women’s race, Amanda ran with a group of men seeking to take advantage of a quick first half. She quickly established herself in 4th place, laying off a very fast lead group of 3. Amanda passed 5k in 15:51 and 10k in 31:40 – a time that registers as the 3rd fastest 10k of her life. Between 5k and 10k Amanda’s lead over 5th place grew from 4 seconds to 26 seconds and she would never look back.
Just after Andrew’s small group made the turn north after 8 miles his pack began to splinter. Andrew found himself running solo into the wind. Andrew passed the 10 mile mark in a new personal best of 46:02, a time that once ratified will be 5th in US history. However, there was a group of 12 behind him beginning to close the gap. Ryan was part of that group, and he also notched a 10 mile PR of 46:26. As the group made the turn at 11 miles on the long stretch to the finish they continued to close the gap on Andrew.
Despite running solo the rest of the way, Andrew was able to hold off the group. He crossed the line in 8th place, breaking his own ZAP record with a blistering 1:00:47. His time took 48 seconds off his previous best and vaulted him up to 11th on the All-Time US list. Ryan finished 12 seconds behind Andrew in 14th place, dipping under the 1:01 mark with his 1:00:59 clocking. His time sits 17th on the All-Time list and ripped 2 minutes and 18 seconds off his personal best from 2023.
As Amanda made the turn into the wind just before 9 miles Amanda put her head down and locked in. Her pace would slow in the 2nd half, but she continued to widen the gap over 5th place. The race did have official timing at 10 miles and Amanda’s split of 51:17 is faster than the previous American record of 51:23. She won’t become the new American record holder because Weini Kelati was ahead of her, but is now the 2nd fastest 10 miler in US history.
Amanda surged over the final 2 miles to cross the line in 4th place overall, 2nd among Americans. Her time of 1:07:35 was a 38 second personal best, ZAP record, and the 8th fastest time in US history.
Josh Breaks ZAP Marathon Record
Josh Izewski used a short buildup to get redemption from a New York City Marathon in November where he suffered an injury during the race and limped to a 2:16 finish. Josh’s ability to manage his effort properly over the marathon distance has been his super power when he’s healthy, and that skill shone bright again on Sunday.
Josh found a small group of runners early running right at 2:10 pace. Tucked into a pack of 5 athletes, he passed the halfway mark in 18th place in 1:05:08. The race hit a stiff headwind from miles 12-18, but Josh’s small group stuck together. And while they slowed slightly in that stretch, they were able to stay within a few seconds per mile of the pace they ran over the first half. As the group hit the 18 mile mark the wind shifted from a headwind to a cross-wind and the pack began to pick up the pace.
Josh lost contact with the group just past 20 miles, commenting after the race “I only had about 35k in my legs today, which made for a grind to the finish.” Josh did slow slightly from 35k to the finish, losing contact with the athletes he was racing with. But he still finished well, climbing all the way into the top 10 with a 9th place finish and dipping under 2:11. His time of 2:10:54 was one of the fastest US performances in Houston history and a new ZAP record & personal best by 15 seconds.
Next up for Andrew and Ryan You can find full results from both the half and the full here.
Next up for Andrew and Ryan will be the Armagh International Road Race in Ireland on February 13th before racing the US Half Marathon Championships on March 2nd in Atlanta. Amanda is also planning on being in Atlanta for the US Championships, where the top 3 finishers will be selected to the World Road Running Championships which will be held in the United States for the first time in September.
ZAP Rewrites US Record Books
In addition to landing on the All-Time US lists at the half marathon distance, the team also climbed up the rankings at 15k, 10 miles and 20k, distances that were also certified as part of the Houston Half Marathon. Here is where the team ranks on the All-Time lists after Sunday:
15k
Amanda: 5th All-Time, 47:38
Andrew: 5th All-Time, 42:41
10 Miles
Amanda: 2nd All-Time, 51:17 (surpassed previous American Record)
Andrew: 5th All-Time, 46:02
Ryan: 16th All-Time, 46:26
20k
Amanda: 2nd All-Time, 1:04:05 (surpassed previous American Record)
Andrew: 3rd All-Time, 57:43 (surpassed previous American Record)
Ryan: 6th All-Time, 57:52 (surpassed previous American Record)