FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston Marathon Foundation Continues Commitment to Elite Distance Running
HOUSTON (November 6, 2014) - The Houston Marathon Foundation (HMF)
announced today that it will provide $40,000 in funding for U.S. elite
long-distance running development programs. Grant support for the training
and development of U.S. long-distance runners has been awarded to local
Houston athlete and former Rice University four-time NCAA Division I
All-American Becky Wade, Team USA Minnesota and ZAP Fitness, headquartered
in North Carolina.
"The Houston Marathon Committee has been an industry leader in its support
of U.S. long distance running for decades by hosting national championships
and Olympic Trials, as well as providing dedicated prize money for U.S.
participants," said Houston Marathon Foundation and Committee Executive
Director Wade Morehead. "The Houston Marathon Foundation has continued this
tradition since its inception and we are thrilled to be able to support our
country's finest runners, including Houston resident Becky Wade, in their
quest to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games."
In her marathon debut in December 2013, Becky Wade won the California
International Marathon in 2:30:41, the fifth-fastest marathon by an
American woman in 2013. It was her first race longer than 10K, her
specialty distance in which she earned All-American honors in 2009 and
2012. Wade is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Rice University with a triple
major in history, sociology and psychology.
"I am so appreciative and excited about building a relationship with the
Houston Marathon Committee and Foundation," said local elite Becky Wade. "I
think that, together, we can invigorate the Houston running landscape. With
their support and our joint effort, I'm confident that we can unify the
running community, connect the runners to the masses and promote the
sweeping benefits of a running lifestyle. In addition, I hope to follow in
the footsteps of some great Houston runners before me and represent this
great city at the international level. The financial support from the
Houston Marathon Foundation will go a long way in helping me to achieve my
running goals, as it will enable me to invest more heavily in resources
such as physical therapy, regular massages, and sports psychology
consultations."
In addition to supporting Wade, the Houston Marathon Foundation will
support Team USA Minnesota for the second-consecutive year. Team USA
Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Formed in
2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness
of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians. The
athletes are coached by Dennis Barker, former head cross country and track
coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Team USA Minnesota's mission is
to provide an opportunity for talented distance runners to train in an
environment that will prepare them to compete on a level with the best in
the nation and in the world and to raise awareness of the sport of distance
running.
"We truly appreciate the support that our training group has received from
the Houston Marathon Foundation," said Patricia Goodwin, president and
founder of Team USA Minnesota. "This significant sponsorship gives us the
opportunity and continued confidence to develop American runners who race
nationally and internationally on the roads, the track and in cross
country. We also look forward to once again competing at the Aramco
Houston Half Marathon, which is the site of the 2015 USA Half Marathon
Championships."
This will be the inaugural year of the Foundation's support of the ZAP
Fitness Foundation which was established in 2001 and is a non-profit
training center for post-collegiate, Olympic hopeful distance runners. Its
founders, the late Andy Palmer and his wife Zika, developed the program as
a way to give back to the sport of distance running, a sport that played a
significant role in both their lives. The objectives of ZAP Fitness include
financially supporting 8-10 post-collegiate distance runners in their
efforts to make World Championship and Olympic Teams and providing role
models for America's youth by promoting an active healthy lifestyle as well
as promoting achievement.
"All of us at ZAP Fitness are humbled by this grant from the Houston
Marathon Foundation," said Peter Rea, head coach of ZAP Fitness. "Now
entering our 14th year, we at ZAP Fitness continue to focus on 2 key
missions: First and foremost educating runners of all ages and ability on
how to most intelligently approach the sport and secondly provide a full
range of support for a team of our country's best up and coming post
collegiate runners. It is in these missions that we share common goals with
the Houston Marathon Foundation, goals of both performance and fitness
alike. These funds will be utilized for rehabilitation and medical services
for our resident team of Olympic hopefuls, an area of critical need for our
group. We again thank the Houston Marathon Foundation for their support in
this unique partnership."
Since 2008, the HMF has directly contributed to U.S. distance running by
funding the USA Distance Project and providing direct support to U.S.
Training Centers, like Team USA Minnesota and Zap Fitness. This is in
addition to numerous local initiatives in the Greater Houston Region
supported by the HMF to provide opportunities and support for new runners
and the vibrant local running community. An announcement outlining the
local programs to be supported this year by the HMF will be released at the
end of November.
For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.
About The Houston Marathon Foundation
Founded in 2008, the Houston Marathon Foundation is committed to support
the advancement of running as an element of a balanced, healthy lifestyle
in the Houston community and nationally. The national focus of the
organization is dedicated to promoting and improving the sport of distance
running while locally, the organization supports running related program
and community needs that will improve and create effective health-based
initiatives. Additionally, youth programs and after school running
programs provide coaching, support, guidance and opportunity to over 1,000
Houston area students annually who would otherwise have few or no fitness
opportunities and many of whom participate in the annual Houston Marathon
Committee weekend events.
For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com or call
713.957.3453.
###
|
