4.3. Houston and World XC Recap Episode

"The files are in the computer." 

Guess that movie reference as we open the show!

Well, the runners were in the TV this weekend with live action at the Houston Marathon/Half Marathon and the World XC Champs in Florida. Des was on the call in Houston on Sunday, and both Des and Kara watched the coverage of the races in Tallahassee on Saturday.

What amazing races they were! 

They cover all of the amazing chaos from World XC (from water to "mud" to obstacles and snakes), which made for some carnage on the course. Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda won the men's race, and Caroline Agnes Ngetich absolutely stole the show on the women's side. Des and Kara talk about it all and assess the US performances, with both men and women finishing in 4th place in the team results. Congrats to Tallahassee for putting on a great show!

Then in Houston, perfect weather brought some very fast times. You had 4 US men under 60 for the first time in a single race, with both the US men's and women's half records very nearly going down. And in the marathon, Zouhair Talbi won the men's marathon in 2:05:45 with the third fastest time ever by an American. Talbi is a recently naturalized citizen. He can't compete for the US yet but should be eligible by the 2028 Games, so watch that name. Great Britain's Calli Hauger-Thackery won the women's marathon in 2:24:17 after also winning Honolulu just a month ago. 

Finally, they talk about a big doping bust in marathoning - Albert Korir - before ending on a more positive note with a top 5 for the week. We are only 13 days into January and already 3 episodes into this fourth season of podcasts for Des and Kara. It's going to be a good year!