The second weekend of May brought another packed slate of racing across Texas, with fast road 5Ks, competitive half marathons, and grueling trail ultras highlighting a busy weekend for the running community. From close finishes at the Aliens vs Astronauts 5K to long hours on the trails at the Wildflower Trail Race, runners battled warm conditions and challenging courses across multiple distances.
At the Aliens vs Astronauts 5K, the men’s race came down to the wire as Andrew Spelling narrowly edged Adrian Juarez by just two seconds, 17:47 to 17:49. Clayton Collins rounded out the podium in 18:10. On the women’s side, Jennifer Wells posted the fastest women’s time of the event with an impressive 18:57 finish, ahead of Sara Maher and Hannah McDermett.
Meanwhile, trail runners took on a full weekend of racing at Wildflower, where athletes tackled distances ranging from 5Ks to 50Ks over two days of competition. Day one featured one of the most dramatic finishes of the weekend in the women’s 50K, as Nicole Bitter crossed the line in 5:00:39, just three seconds ahead of Brooke Riedy. Ana Escobar finished third in 5:31:52. In the men’s 50K, Kevin Jaouen claimed the victory in 4:52:50, followed by Aaron Gingrich and Brandon Gutierrez.
The competition remained tight in the 12-mile races, where Aaron Albert took the men’s title in 1:21:59. The women’s race featured an exact tie at the top, with Brooke Nelson and Laura Keaton both finishing in 1:36:19. Additional Wildflower winners included Charles Clark in the men’s 5-mile, Celeste Neff in the women’s 5-mile, Juan Murillo in the men’s 5K, and Paloma Salazar in the women’s 5K.
Day two of Wildflower brought another full schedule of trail racing, including the marathon, half marathon, and another round of 50Ks. Kenna Supkis led the women’s ultra field with a winning time of 5:48:16, while Liam Phelan won the men’s race in 6:05:15. In the marathon, Victor Dupont and Julia Christian claimed the top spots in the men’s and women’s races respectively.
The half marathon competition also produced close finishes. Raul Guerra led the men’s field in 1:40:23, while Laura Segatori narrowly held off Sung In Kim-Vences in the women’s race, winning by just 14 seconds.
Road racing action continued at the Hometown Half Marathon, where runners competed in the half marathon, 10K, and 5K distances. Patty Menephee delivered one of the strongest performances of the weekend, winning the women’s half marathon in 1:25:48. Pedro Carvajal captured the men’s title in 1:34:21.
In the 10K races, Joel Hardin and Briana Creeks earned victories, with Creeks breaking the 40-minute barrier in 39:57. The 5K titles went to Josue Morales and Lila Carrera.
Elsewhere across Houston, runners also participated in events including the 29th Annual Sprint for Life 5K Run/Walk, the 44th Annual Houston Humane Society K9 Fun Run + Walk, the Texas Crab Festival Fun Run, and the Legacy of Courage Half Marathon, continuing a busy spring racing season throughout the state.
