Jen Rhines, Mo Trafeh Win USA Half Marathon Titles in Houston

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HOUSTON (Jan. 29, 2011) - Under overcast conditions in the Bayou City on Saturday morning, Mo Trafeh and 

Jen Rhines won USA Half Marathon titles in 1:02:17 and 1:11:14 respectively. The national championship 

presented by Aramco Services Company drew some of the best U.S. distance runners who competed on the 

same 8-mile loop course for the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon to be hosted by Houston on January 14. 

The men's race unfolded with a pack of eight men through 6 miles when last year's national runner-up Patrick 

Smyth injected a 4:39 mile surge that only U.S. half-marathon record holder Ryan Hall, Jason Lehmkuhle and 

Trafeh answered. 

The four contenders ran together at 1:02 half-marathon pace until the 10th mile when Smyth surged again which dropped Lehmkuhle, and the title chase was now down to Smyth, Hall and Trafeh. 

At 12 miles, Hall, a 2008 Olympian, threw down the fastest mile of the race with a 4:32 split that broke Smyth, 

but Trafeh, 25, from Duarte, Calif., who has a 1:00:39 half-marathon PR, stayed on Hall's shoulder until mile 13 

when the 2010 USA 15K champion moved past Hall for his second national title overall with Hall three seconds 

back in 1:02:20. 

"First, I'm happy to be back from injury. I stayed behind Ryan and was unsure if I would win, but with 200 meters left I sprinted and it worked out," Trafeh said post-race. 

Hall called it a competitive race and a good prep for the upcoming Boston Marathon and added: "I'm where I 

want to be." 

The women's national championship race was similar to the men's for the first 7 miles with a large pack of 

hopefuls, and like the men, the race really took off at the 58-minute mark when Rhines and Serena Burla pulled away from rising star Nan Kennard. 

At mile 11, Rhines, 36, from Mammoth Lakes, Calif. produced the race's second fastest mile split (5:21) to build 

a 7-second lead over Burla, last year's national runner-up here. Over the final miles, Rhines, a three-time 

Olympian, extended her lead to eventually earn a 24-second victory over Burla, 1:11:14 to 1:11:38. 

"I had a bad patch at 6 miles and later I got a bit antsy, but didn't want to take anything for granted with this 

field," said Rhines, who set a personal record and won her fourth USA title overall, first U.S. half-marathon 

crown and first national title since 2005. 

Each national champion earned $15,000 with a total of $59,500 awarded to the top 10 finishers. The 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships marked Houston's seventh and fifth year to host the men's and women's national road championships respectively.

Also, from this event, there were six new 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers - four men (Mike Chavez, Joe 

Driscoll, David Nightingale and Ryan Vail) and two women (Clara Grandt and Lindsey Scherf). 

USA Men's and Women's Half Marathon Championships presented by Aramco Services Company 

Houston, TX, Saturday, January 29, 2011 

MEN 

1) Mo Trafeh (CA), 1:02:17, $12,000 

2) Ryan Hall (CA), 1:02:20, $6500 

3) Patrick Smyth (CA), 1:02:32, $4000 

4) Fasil Bizuneh (AZ), 1:02:47, $2000 

5) Jason Lehmkuhle (MN), 1:02:49, $1500 

6) Ryan Vail (OR), 1:02:51, $1250 

7) Scott MacPherson (TX), 1:04:03, $1000 

8) Jorge Torres (CO), 1:04:18, $750 

9) Mike Sayenko (WA), 1:04:20, $500 

10) Joseph Driscoll (NC), 1:04:23, $250 

WOMEN 

1) Jen Rhines (CA), 1:11:14, $12,000 

2) Serena Burla (MO), 1:11:38, $6500 

3) Nan Kennard (CO), 1:12:03, $4000 

4) Katie McGregor (MN), 1:12:13, $2000 

5) Tera Moody (CO), 1:12:30, $1500 

6) Clara Grandt (MD), 1:13:13, $1250 

7) Lindsey Scherf (CA), 1:13:40, $1000 

8) Amy Hastings (CA), 1:14:07, $750 

9) Magdalena Lewy Boulet (CA), 1:14:28, $500 

10) Melissa White (MI), 1:14:50, $250 

For deeper results and more, go to: www.houstonmarathon.com 

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