FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steven Karpas
(713) 957-3453
Record-setting weekend on tap for
Chevron Houston Marathon
Marathon and Half Marathon reach race cap, close registration
Editor’s Note: For credential requests to cover the races, please email
Megan Mastal at or call 713-884-5432.
HOUSTON, Jan. 10, 2006 –– The 34th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon
is poised to be the biggest and best ever, with record weekend
participation of more than 18,000 runners expected to compete for the
$172,900 prize purse.
Registration for the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half
Marathon has reached the combined field limit of 15,000, closing before
on-site registration during race weekend for the first time ever.
Registration for the Houston Press/Smart Financial 5K will remain open
until Saturday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. The three races are scheduled for Sunday,
Jan. 15.
"The interest from Houston's running community and around the world
continues to grow," said Brant Kotch, marathon race director. "We are
expecting runners from all 50 states and 30 countries. This is the fifth
consecutive year that we have seen a marked increase in participation. We
first imposed a cap on marathon and half-marathon participation last year,
to ensure runner safety and make it a pleasurable experience for all."
Among this year’s runners is Texas Governor Rick Perry, who will run in the
Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Governor Perry, an avid runner, will join the
8,000-plus expected for the race.
The Aramco Houston Half Marathon also will host the 2006 USA Men’s Half
Marathon National Championship for the second consecutive year, featuring
many of America’s top distance runners. They will be competing for $52,400
in prize money in the half, $21,000 of which is reserved exclusively for
Americans.
Houston Mayor Bill White and Texas Governor Rick Perry will fire the
starting gun to begin the marathon and half marathon at 7 a.m. The Houston
Press/Smart Financial 5K will get under way at 7:20 a.m.
This year’s record participation is expected to result in a windfall for
the race’s Run for a Reason program, which raises money for numerous
Houston-area charities. Close to $1 million is projected to be raised in
2006, compared to $802,000 last year.
Runner packet pick-up, and on-site registration for the Houston Press/Smart
Financial 5K, begins Friday at the Chevron Houston Marathon Health &
Fitness EXPO presented by Koala Health and Wellness Centers. The EXPO,
which also features more than 90 exhibitors and seminars on health, fitness
and running, is open Friday, Jan. 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday,
Jan. 14, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free and open to the public, the EXPO takes
place in the George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall D, first level. There
is no runner packet pick-up race day.
"New for 2006 are three separate areas, or corrals, at the start line for
marathon and the half marathon," said Kotch. "The first is reserved for
elite runners, the second for those who expect to run under four hours in
the marathon or two in the half, and the third for those running at a
slower pace. Designed to improve the experience for everyone, runners’
bibs will indicate which corral they should start from, based on the
expected race time runners provided at registration."
The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA founding member, is the
nation’s premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all
50 U.S. states and nearly 30 foreign countries. In 2005, more than 18,000
runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half marathon,
5K and children’s run). The Chevron Houston Marathon offers the only
closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the
nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization
and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is
Houston’s largest single-day sporting event.
More information is available online at
www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com or by calling 713-957-3453.
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