NYRR Media Center

Weini Kelati, the runner-up in last year’s Mastercard New York Mini 10K, is a four-time national champion, Olympian, and American record holder in the women’s half marathon. Kelati broke her own American record in the half marathon in February, running 1:06:04 in Barcelona, after back-to-back record-breaking performances in Houston in 2024 and 2025.

A versatile athlete on the roads and on the track, Kelati has won five national titles at the 2021 and 2022 USATF 5K Championships, 2024 USATF 10,000 meters Championships, and the 2024 and 2025 USATF Cross Country Championships. She represented the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the World Cross Country Championships in 2023, 2024, and 2026.

Prior to turning professional, Kelati had a standout collegiate career at the University of New Mexico where she won two national titles and was a 13-time All-American. She was born in Eritrea and came to the United States to compete at the 2014 Junior World Championships and never returned home. She intentionally missed her flight and moved in with relatives in Virginia, becoming an American citizen in 2021.