FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2011 USA Half Marathon Championships to Preview
2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Course
HOUSTON - The Houston Marathon Committee, in conjunction with presenting
sponsor Aramco Services Company, announced that Houston will once again
host the USA Half Marathon Championships. The 2011 edition of the USATF
sanctioned event will be conducted on Saturday, January 29 at 8:00 a.m.,
one day prior to the 39th annual Chevron Houston Marathon.
The 2011 Championships will be run on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials -
Marathon course, an eight-mile loop route designed to give athletes a
preview of the Olympic Trials course. The Championships will also allow
athletes to experience the Houston Marathon Committee's operating plans for
the 2012 Olympic Trials. The top 150 male and female athletes are expected
to compete in Houston next January.
"The decision by the Board of Directors to move the Championships to the
day before our annual Sunday events will result in a truly memorable
weekend of running for both participants and spectators," said Brant Kotch,
Race Director and President of the Houston Marathon Committee. "Not only
does it give our best American distance runners an opportunity to preview
the 2012 Olympic Trials course under race conditions, it also allows our
organizing committee to plan and test the 2012 format."
The 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships will mark Houston's seventh and
fifth year to host the men's and women's races respectively.
Houston will host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials - Marathon on Saturday,
January 14, 2012, a first for a single city to host both the men's and
women's events.
The general public will be given a unique opportunity to run with the elite
athletes competing in the 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships. A limited
number of VIP packages will be offered to the public during race
registration which opens on Tuesday, July 27 at 6:00 a.m. CST. Details
about the VIP packages can be found on the event website
(houstonmarathon.com).
About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running
USA founding member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter
marathon, half marathon, 5K and kids' fun run. In 2010, more than 30,000
runners participated in four race weekend events organized by 7,500
volunteers, creating Houston's largest single-day sporting event. In
addition to hosting numerous world-renowned road races, including the Men's
and Women's USA Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992 Women's
U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, HMC will host the 2012 Men's and Women's U.S.
Olympic Marathon Trials on January 14, 2012.
For more information, visit houstonmarathon.com or call 713.957.3453.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and
field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF
encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched
events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school
participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United
States.
For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org
###
|
