Chevron Houston Marathon / Aramco Houston Half Marathon – News – Two Years Wiser, Erika Kemp To Take A Second Try At The Marathon In Houston On Sunday

TWO YEARS WISER, ERIKA KEMP TO TAKE A SECOND TRY AT THE MARATHON IN HOUSTON ON SUNDAY
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved – Used with permission.

HOUSTON (17-Jan) — When Erika Kemp came into the 2023 Boston Marathon as a two-time national road running champion at 15 and 20 kilometers, who boasted a half-marathon personal best of 1:10:14, she thought that the transition to the marathon distance would be a smooth one.  But after rolling through the first 10-K in 35:26, on pace for a 2:29:30 finish, she slowed in the second half of the race and finished in a slower-than-hoped-for 2:33:57.  She didn’t get the result she had wanted, but it was a valuable –and sometimes painful– learning experience.

“I learned just how brutal a marathon was,” Kemp told reporters at a press conference here this morning.  The 29 year-old former NC State star will be running the Chevron Houston Marathon on Sunday, and is hoping to channel some good energy from the two personal-best half-marathons she has run in this sprawling southeastern Texas city, 1:10:14 in 2023 and 1:09:10 in 2024.  

“I decided to run the full (marathon) this year because I built up some good course karma with coming to Houston and having a good experience, and running a fast PB,” Kemp said.  The Brooks-sponsored athlete continued: “I hope to run another massive PB.”

That would certainly be a reasonable goal.  Using the time-tested Riegel Formula, her half-marathon personal best converts to a 2:25:13 marathon, while her 10,000m personal best of 31:28.69 converts to a 2:26:56.  She was clearly feeling positive today as she reflected on her past two races here.

“It’s been such a good experience since I’ve come to Houston,” Kemp said.  “Even today, it was sunny and I didn’t need a puffer jacket.  We’re deep into winter in New England right now, so coming down to Houston in mid-January is always such a super-nice break, and the running is always fantastic.”

But Kemp –who is based in Providence, Rhode Island– may have brought some of that cold New England weather with her.  A cold snap is expected to arrive here beginning on Saturday night and deliver rare, sub-freezing temperatures to this city of 2.3 million people.  That has triggered special safety protocols by both the race organizers and the local government.

“We have really done everything to prepare for this signature event,” Mayor John Whitmire told the media this morning at a press conference.  “We’re…