Marathon milestones

With the Houston Marathon celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, here are some important milestones — locally and internationally — for this most famous of distance races:

1908: American Johnny Hayes won her more than five hours to finish. 2005: Kelly Keane became the last the first marathon at the official 26mile, 1979: American Sue Peterson became American to win in Houston, claiming 385-yard distance with a time of the first woman to break the threehour the women’s title with a 2:32:27. 2:55:18.4 at the London Olympics. barrier in Houston, posting a 2009: Ethiopia’s Deriba Merga broke 1925: Albert Richard “Whitey” Michelsen 2:46:17. 2:10 on the Houston course for the first broke the 2:30 barrier for the first 1986: Houston’s marathon moved time, winning with a time of 2:07:52. time officially, finishing the inaugural away from multiple loops in Memorial 2012: Ethiopian Tarika Jufar set the Port Chester (N.Y.) Marathon with a Park to the city’s streets for the first Houston record with a time of 2:06:51, time of 2:29:01.8. time. while countrywoman Alemitu Abera 1953: Great Britain’s Jim Peters finished 1996: The aptly named Turbo Tumo set the woman’s record with her the first sub-2:20 marathon with claimed the first victory in Houston for 2:23:14. his 2:18:40.4 in the Polytechnic Marathon an Ethiopian runner with a time of 2018: Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge posted in suburban London. 2:10:34, 30 seconds slower than Kenyan the fastest official marathon time 1960: Ethiopia’s Abebe Bikila delivered Richard C. Kaitany’s winning time ever, winning in Berlin with a 2:01:39. the fastest marathon ever by a in 1989, which had made him Houston’s 2019: Kipchoge next posted history’s runner in bare feet, winning Rome with first East African champion. Men fastest time over the marathon distance a time of 2:15:16.2. from either Kenya or Ethiopia have — 1:59:40 in Vienna — but it’s 1971: American Elizabeth Bonner became now won every year since 2005, while not recognized as the record because the first woman to complete a Ethiopian women have prevailed every it wasn’t actually a race. Also, his marathon in under three hours, winning year since 2007. countrywoman Brigid Kosgei posted the New York City race in 2:55.22. 2000: Ethiopia’s Stephen Ndungo the fastest women’s time ever with a 1972: Former University of Houston became the only runner, male or female, 2:14:04 in the Chicago Marathon. runner Danny Green won the inaugural to win three years in a row in 2021: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Houston Marathon with a time of Houston. the runners didn’t hit the pavement 2:32:33 in just his second-ever marathon. 2003: In Houston, 36-year-old Sean together in Houston for the only Tanya Trantham, only 14, was Wade became the last American man time since the marathon’s founding. the fastest female on the Memorial to prevail here, finishing in 2:24:43. Races instead were conducted virtually. Park course that day, although it took