Cold Tailwinds Push Knight, Kieffer to Victory in Austin International Half Marathon

Haftu Knight out-leaned Shitsama at the tape, 1:04:49 to 1:04:50 in the closest finish in the event’s history. See the featured image above.

The name may have changed, but the Austin International Half Marathon (formerly the 3M Half Marathon) kept the same speedy course and high level of competition as it has had in the past. Even when temperatures plummeted to 28 degrees on race morning, that didn’t keep the roughly 6,000 runners from having a good time.

And though runners from close to all 50 states competed, it was Austin’s own former Longhorn star Haftu Knight and 2023 3M champ Allie Kieffer who took the titles.

Headed into a stiff headwind (making temps feel like 10 degrees), a pack of four including Knight, Oklahoma State standout Victor Shitsama, 2024 Olympic Marathon trials qualifier Connor Weaver, and former Penn State miler Matt McWilliams, emerged from the crowd and passed through 5K in fifteen minutes and 47 seconds. By the time they hit the steady descent on Shoal Creek Boulevard a predominately a tail wind helped scoot the runners along on the point-to-point downhill course.

All four went through the 10K mark on Great Northern Boulevard in 31:06 but just as they passed the15K mark (46:30), Knight and Shitsama began to pull away.

The pair traded leads but neither could shake the other even when Knight hit the University of Texas Campus on Speedway at mile 12.

“Coming through campus, obviously it gave me the strength to show off for Texas — you know I ran for UT,” said Knight. “It was incredible, it was awesome.”

Shitsama was game, and the pair ran neck and neck on San Jacinto with the finish line at 14th Steet in sight. But Knight out-leaned Shitsama at the tape, 1:04:49 to 1:04:50 in the closest finish in the event’s history. Weaver held on for third in 1:05:14, just ahead of McWilliams in 1:05:17.

In the women’s race, Kieffer, a 2024 Olympic Marathon trials qualifier, took an early lead on former Penn State standout Libby Benzer, opening up a 14-second gap by the 5K mark, passed in 17:06. Though Benzer remained in striking distance, Kieffer’s 5:34 pace didn’t falter.

When she hit the tape in 1:12:55, Kieffer’s time was nearly four minutes faster than her 2023 win on the same course. Benzer was second in 1:13:11, followed by Stevi Clark, the 2023 Run for the Water 10-mile champ in 1:14:25 and 2022 3M champ Sarah Jackson in 1:14:54.

“I was running scared — I just wanted to keep my lead,” said Kieffer, post race. “I kept asking people along the course how close the next girl was.”

This year’s race saw the return of prize money, not seen since the 2015 event. Both Knight and Kieffer earned $2,000 for their wins, with second through fifth places taking home $1,500; $750; $500; and $250 respectively.

Upcoming Races: Saturday January 25, the Medal Madness 5K, 10K, & Half Marathon, 8:00 a.m. at the Pflugerville Parks and Recreation Center. Sunday, February 2 at 7:30 a.m., the San Marcos Half Marathon at the Tanger Outlet.

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