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UNM ATHLETICS
Samuel blazes to victory in Houston
Lobo wins elite half-marathon in his first attempt at the distance
At 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters, Habtom Samuel already had established himself as a world-class distance runner.
On Sunday, he added the half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles to his resume — and in a big way.
Samuel, a University of New Mexico athlete listed as a junior on the UNM athletics website, won the Houston Half Marathon in a stunning time of 59 minutes, 1 second — a course record and besting a shockingly fast field that saw the top eight runners finish under one hour.
Calli Thackery, who ran for UNM in 2014, won the women's marathon on Sunday in 2:24.17. Thackery competed in the marathon for England in the 2024 Olympics and won the Honolulu Marathon in December.
Former Lobo Alice Wright finished 20th in the women's half-marathon in a time of 1:11.04.
Samuel's victory at a new and longer distance came just seven weeks after his victory in Lobo turquoise at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Columbia, Missouri Wisconsin — leading UNM to a second-place team finish.
Samuel, a native of Eritrea, finished 13 seconds ahead of runner-up Patrick Kiprop in Houston. Mohammed El Youssfi was another 20 seconds back in third.
Three United States runners — Alex Maier (fourth place, 59:23, Casey Clinger (fifth, 59:34) and Isai Rodriguez (eighth, 59:57), broke the one-hour barrier.
Samuel, a native of Eritrea, was the NCAA Cross Country runner-up in 2023 and 2024 — famously running most of the 2024 race with one shoe after having his heel clipped by another runner.
On the track, Samuel finished second at 2025 NCAA outdoor nationals at both 5,000 and 10,000 meters. Indoors, he placed second at nationals in the 5,000. He ran second in the 5,000 at indoor nationals and was the Mountain West Conference champion at 3,000 and 5,000 meters in 2024 and 2025.
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In 2024, Samuel won the 10,000 at NCAA outdoors.
Samuel's victory in Houston came one day after two former Lobos, Ednah Kurgat and Weini Kelati, helped the United States to a fourth-place finish as a team at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida.
Kurgat placed 10th overall and was the first U.S. runner to cross the finish line. Kelati, who holds the women's record in the Houston Half Marathon, finished 40th in Tallahassee.
