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Ethiopians sweep Houston Marathon, half marathon

HOUSTON (AP) - Ethiopian runners turned Houston into their own personal showcases on Sunday, sweeping the full and half marathons in record times.

Tariku Jufar won the men's marathon in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 51 seconds, eclipsing the previous best time of 2:07.04 set last year by Ethiopia's Bekana Daba. Jufar is the fourth straight men's champion from the African nation, and the fourth straight runner to win in a record time.

The 27-year-old Jufar shaved almost two minutes off his previous personal best, less than three years after he was seriously injured in a car accident while training. He earned his first victory in a marathon last November, winning in Beirut, following a second-place finish in Istanbul in October.

"I'm very glad to run this course,'' Jufar said through an interpreter. "I'm also comfortable with the weather, as well. I'm glad I could achieve what I achieved.''

Alemitu Abera won the women's race in 2:23.14. The previous record was 2:23.53, set by Ethiopia's Teyba Erkesso in 2010.

Read more: SI.com