HOUSTON, TEXAS, January 11 — Two years ago, Zouhair Talbi ran to a 2:06:39 win in the Houston Marathon scoring a PR, course record and Paris Olympic qualifier trifecta. This year, Talbi toed the line in Houston just 41 days after his World Athletics transfer of allegiance from Morocco to the U.S. and scored an even more impressive 2:05:45 win and PR, course record and No. 3 on the U.S. all-time list trifecta.
The 30-year-old Talbi, who obtained his citizenship via his service in the U.S. Army Reserves, said, “This is a special moment for me. This is a country that gives me a lot of opportunities. I always dream to represent America, and today was my first time carrying the flag.”
Talbi now trails only Conner Mantz (2:04:43) and fellow Moroccan-born Khalid Khannouchi (2:05:38) on the U.S. all-time performers and performance lists.
Talbi powered through a strong closing 7K to break open a tight four-man race. Ethiopian Adane Gebre finished 2nd in 2:06:16, Kenyan Shadrack Kimining 3rd in 2:07:35, and Eritrean Yemane Haileselassie 4th in 2:09:00.
After sticking with Mantz’s record pace through 27K in Chicago, Talbi said, “I know under 2:06 was within reach, and I shoot for that. We had two pacers and they took a very regular pace throughout the first 25K and the projected time was 2:06:10. That’s when things get hard, but there was competition between four of us.”
Haileselassie was the first to falter, then Kimining let go as Gebre began to lean into the pace after 30K with Talbi working hard to stay within 3 seconds at 35K. Talbi tapped his experience handling the two inclines in the final kilometers of Houston’s otherwise flat course to close out the win.
Talbi reeled in Gebre running up an off-ramp at 37K, then waited until 40K and the rise from the Bayou into the city center to launch a vigorous attack that in an instant broke open the race and guaranteed a sub 2:06 clocking.
“Today was a tough competition,” Talbi recalled, adding, “I think that’s what brought the time under 2:06. Especially when you want to win at the end of the race, that competition plays a big part of the time I ran today.
Comparing his two Houston wins, Talbi offered, “The first time, that was like a ceiling that my body was able to get to. Prior to that I had 2:08 and everyone tells you can run 2:06, but you don’t know until you do it. I was super happy running 2:06 and knowing that all what I did in training was working.”
“I think this second time I have better confidence. I know the how my body will feel and know how to spread my energy throughout the marathon. It’s a very happy moment for me.”
Talbi acquired his sturdy build on the soccer pitch but adeptly shifted to running placing 14th in the 2013 U20 World Cross. After immigrating to the U.S. in 2019, he first attended Northwest Kansas Technical College and post-COVID he enrolled in the NAIA’s Oklahoma City University as a 25-year-old soph.
Talbi’s improbable leap from NAIA to international notice began in 2022 as he led off the year running 62:05 in his first trip to Houston, then in the span of 10 weeks ran to a Mile-3K-5K triple win at the NAIA Indoor, and a 6th-place finish 6th in the World Indoor Champs 3000.
By season’s end he claimed NAIA records of 7:40.39, 13:18.17 and 27:20:61. Yet by the end of the year, Talbi had gone pro and made an immediate and successful transition to the roads. He ran 2:08:35 in his 2023 marathon debut to take 5th in Boston. He led much of the opening 25K in NYC that fall before a humbling DNF. That motivated his Houston triumph in 2024.
As to his steady improvement Talbi said, “There is a lot of work behind that. Since my time in NAIA, I was running plus times and my goal is to compete with the best in the world. Every year I get better and better, and that’s what excites me for hard training.”
While his affiliation is now with the USA in the eyes of both WA and USATF, Talbi will not be eligible for a U.S. Team until the 2027 Beijing World Championships and he now has an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier.
Training partners Calli Hauger-Thackery, a U.S.-based British citizen, and Sara Hall took their penchant for racing a bit towards the extreme finishing 1-2 in the women’s race just weeks after completing other marathons.
Hauger-Thackery claimed a double win, running 2:24:17 in Houston just four weeks after taking the arduous, warm weather Honolulu Marathon.
The 42-year-old Hall clocked 2:26:26 for her 26.2 miler five weeks after running her 2:24:38 Trials qualifier placing 2nd at Cal International.
Talbi’s wife Elizabeth made it a family affair finishing 10th in 2:35:36 for a Trials qualifier 10 months after the couple celebrated the birth of a son — and Zouhair’s U.S. citizenship.
HOUSTON MARATHON MEN’S RESULTS
1. Zouhair Talbi (US) 2:05:45 (3, 3 A) (1:03:05/1:02:40) ($90,000); 2. Adane Gebre’ (Eth) 2:06:16 PR (1:03:05/1:03:11); 3. Shadrack Kimining’ (Ken) 2:07:35 PR; 4. Yemane Haileselassie’ (Eri) 2:09:00; 5. Teshome Mekonen (US) 2:13:13; 6. Ethan Gregg (US) 2:13:32 (debut); 7. Awet Beraki (US) 2:14:13 PR; 8. Joseph Farley (US) 2:14:57 (debut); 9. Thomas Madden (US) 2:15:22 (debut); 10. Zack Holden (US) 2:15:27 PR; 11. Charlie Teeter (US) 2:16:18 (debut); 12. Dylan Belles (US) 2:17:46; 13. Zachary Kinne (US) 2:17:46; 14. Andrew Ye (US) 2:18:11; 15. Cameron Bensley (US) 2:18:24.
HOUSTON MARATHON WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Calli Hauger-Thackery’ (GB) 2:24:17 (1:11:15/1:13:02) ($55,000); 2. Sara Hall (US) 2:26:26; 3. Biruktayit Degefa (US) 2:28:07; 4. Tejinesh Tulu’ (Eth) 2:29:13; 5. Erin Mawhinney’ (Can) 2:29:36 PR; 6. Mimi Smith (US) 2:30:14 PR; 7. Lexie Thompson (US) 2:32:17; 8. Janet Ruguru’ (Ken) 2:33:47; 9. Gabrielle Orie (US) 2:35:06 (debut); 10. Elizabeth Talbi (US) 2:35:36 PR; 11. Courtney Olsen (US) 2:35:42 PR; 12. Caroline Garrett (US) 2:36:04 (debut); 13. Dot McMahan (US) 2:36:24 (qualified for sixth Olympic Trials at 49); 14. Arianna Maida (US) 2:36:32 PR;… 16. Katie Watson (US) 2:36:44
