Top American distance runner Ryan Hall started feeling good vibes even before he arrived in Houston for Saturday's U.S. half-marathon championships.
In 2007, Hall won the Houston half-marathon in 59 minutes, 43 seconds, becoming the first American to finish the distance in under an hour. Later that year, Hall finished the London marathon in 2:08.24, a record for a U.S. debut.
"It's good to be back in Houston," Hall said. "Just flying in here, I get all reminiscent. I call this the 'Land of Breakthrough,' because that's what it was for me four years ago."
Hall is eager to study the course, learning the turns and testing the road surface, as Houston will host the men's and women's U.S. Olympic marathon trials next year on the same course.
He's also counting on this race serving as a springboard to a big year.
"I come here and I just feel like, 'Ah, yeah, this is comfortable,'" Hall said. "I just feel at peace here. You can only get that by having a good experience somewhere. It goes both ways. I have other cities, where I go there and I can feel my own heaviness, because I've had bad experiences there."
Patrick Smyth and Brent Vaughn, who finished second and third in last year's race, are back in the field. Mo Trafeh, who posted the fastest U.S. half-marathon time in New York in 2010 (1:00.39), also is entered.
"I don't know what (Saturday) holds," Hall said. "But with the trials and everything, I think we're going to see some guys breaking through."
Magdalena Lewy Boulet, the 2009 U.S. half-marathon champion, and Serena Burla, last year's runner-up, lead the women's field.
Burla, 28, is racing again almost a year after having a tumor removed from her right leg. She finished fourth in the New York City Marathon last November.
"Running is something that I've always loved," Burla said. "But also, going through what I faced last year, it just opened my eyes to so many important things in life. You have nothing to lose and nothing to fear, because you don't know when your time is up."
Organizers moved the half-marathon back to Saturday, so it wouldn't interfere with Sunday's full marathon.
American Brett Gotcher leads an expected field of about 9,000 for Sunday's race that starts in front of Minute Maid Park, weaves through a public park and Rice University and wraps up at the city's convention center.
Gotcher became the favorite when last year's winner, Ethiopian Teshome Gelana, and Kenyan Felix Keny pulled out because of visa issues.
The 26-year-old Gotcher finished seventh last year in 2:10.36, the fourth fastest debut time by an American.
"It was really nice last year, being able to come in under the radar, and have very little pressure," Gotcher said. "The way I look at it, if you want to achieve your ultimate goal of making an Olympic team, you're going to have to be in the spotlight at some point. Might as well try to get used to it now."
Another contender is Irishman Martin Fagan, a 2008 Olympian. Fagan holds the Irish record for the half-marathon (1:00.57) and trains with Gotcher in Flagstaff, Ariz.
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