FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Record-setting Weekend Ahead for Chevron Houston Marathon,
Aramco Houston Half Marathon, EP5K
Races include Men's, Women's 2008 USA Half Marathon Championships
HOUSTON, January 8, 2008 - The Chevron Houston Marathon will mark its 36th
running with its biggest and best race ever this weekend, when more than
20,000 runners take to the streets of Houston in three events. The fastest
runners will compete for a prize purse that tops $230,000.
Registration for the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half
Marathon reached the combined field limit of 17,000 and closed in late
September, a record 14 weeks prior to race day. Registration for the EP5K
will be available at the Roger Clemens Institute EXPO at the George R.
Brown Convention Center on Friday, Jan. 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12. The three
races are scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 13.
"Runners from the local and regional running communities and athletes from
around the world are once again beating a path to Houston," Brant Kotch,
race director, said of the record participation. "We've seen a constant
increase in participation for six years in a row and that trend continues
this year. We capped the marathon and half-marathon three years ago to
ensure runner safety and make sure runners had a great race experience.
With some adjustments, we were able to increase that cap this year and
still deliver that same quality experience."
The Aramco Houston Half Marathon will host the USA Men's Half Marathon
Championship for the fourth consecutive year and the USA Women's Half
Marathon Championship for the second year in a row. Both races will bring
in many of America's top male and female distance runners, who will compete
for $62,500 in prize money in the half marathon. The race will host the
Championships through 2011.
Houston Mayor Bill White will fire the starting gun to begin the marathon
and half marathon at 7 a.m. The EP5K will get under way at 7:30 a.m.
Elite athletes won't be the only winners in this year's race. Record
participation again this year is expected to generate $1 million through
the race's Run for a Reason charity program, which raises money for 44
different charities. Runners raised a record $852,000 in 2007.
Runner packet pickup and on-site registration for the EP5K begins Friday at
the Roger Clemens Institute EXPO. The EXPO, which includes more than 100
exhibitors and seminars on health, fitness and running, is open Friday,
Jan. 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 12, from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m. Staged in the George R. Brown Convention Center, Hall D, first level,
the EXPO is free and open to the public. There is no runner packet pickup
on race day.
For the first time ever, the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston
Half Marathon will feature a wave start this year. The first wave will
start at 7:00 a.m. and the second wave will start at 7:10 a.m.
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 2007, more than 20,000
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.
###
|
