FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston Marathon Foundation Continues Commitment to Distance Running
HOUSTON (December 19, 2016) - In its continued effort to promote the
benefits of long-distance running and to provide opportunities for runners
of all abilities, the Houston Marathon Foundation (HMF) announced today
that it will distribute $275,000 in financial support to local running
initiatives and national elite long-distance development programs. Since
its inception in 2008, the HMF has provided over $1.1 million in funding
for local youth initiatives, health and wellness programs, community
enhancement projects in Houston, and elite runners in the United States.
Over 2,000 students in the Greater Houston Region will be provided with
training support, equipment and race entries. The HMF increased the number
of schools participating in the We Run Houston after-school running program
to nine, while the HMF-supported Katy Students Run program features three
KISD schools, and Girls on the Run Greater Houston will reach 1,500 youth
female runners. In addition to the youth programs, the HMF continues its
long-time partnership with Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) and will co-host
its annual Family Fun Runs at TCH campuses in Katy and the Woodlands in
April, 2017.
Additionally, the Houston Wellness Project and Bel Inizio are two community
running organizations that will be supported by the HMF again this year. At
the national elite level, the Foundation will provide funding to Team USA
Minnesota, ZAP Fitness and Northern Arizona Elite. Elite competitors from
all three teams will be a part of the 2017 elite fields for the Chevron
Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon to be conducted on
January 15, 2017. These American elite runners will be joined this year by
elite runners who competed in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio and the 2015
Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles. The HMF provides
support to improve accessibility on race weekend, including guides for the
Visually Impaired Division created last year and the recently added
Handcycle Division.
"This continued increase in reach and scope is made possible by the support
of our partners at DICK'S Sporting Goods, Skechers Performance, and Texas
Children's Hospital, as well as the Houston Marathon Committee and its
staff," said Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon
Committee and Foundation. "Not only do we want to provide opportunities for
all abilities to participate during Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend,
we want to create year-round opportunities for youth runners and athletes
with disabilities, as well as provide support to the local running
community and our national elite running programs."
Promoting the Benefits of Running to Local Youth
The We Run Houston initiative will provide race entries, tech shirts,
coaching stipends and transportation reaching over 500 students
participating in after-school running programs with Katy Students Run
(Morton Ranch High School, Katy High School and Katy Taylor High School),
HISD schools (Chavez High School, Sharpstown High School, Hamilton Middle
School, Heights High School, Sugar Grove Academy and Ortiz Middle School)
and Spring Branch ISD schools (Northbrook Middle School, Spring Woods
Middle School and Spring Woods High School). This program will allow
students to have a safe after school environment, build self-esteem, set
long- and short-term goals, and help them train to cross the finish line.
The majority of these students will be participating in the Aramco Houston
Half Marathon or the ABB 5K on race weekend, January 14-15, 2017.
Girls on the Run Greater Houston is a non-profit program that works to
encourage pre-teen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles
through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games, culminating in a
celebratory 5k race. Approximately 1,500 girls at over 130 area middle and
elementary schools are involved in the program. In addition to the
after-school running programs, the HMF provides support for the INEOS Go
Run for Fun program that promotes health and wellness to local children by
conducting dozens of elementary school assemblies that features a one-mile
run and will reach 10,000 students in the Greater Houston Region.
Next April, the HMF and Texas Children's Hospital will partner again to
host over 4,000 participants on the TCH Katy campus for the annual 2017
Texas Children's Hospital Family Fun Run. In addition to this hallmark
event, both organizations will partner to conduct the inaugural Family Fun
Run at the new TCH campus in the Woodlands next April as well. For the
third year in a row, the HMF will select two students in the Greater
Houston Region who will be the recipients of the Susan Poorman Blackie
Scholarship which provides $20,000 per student over four years to local
cross country runners who have excelled in the classroom and community, and
are enrolled to attend college in the state of Texas. Registration for 2017
senior graduates will open in January.
Making the Community Stronger Through Running
The Houston Wellness Project is a nonprofit organization that strives to
empower all individuals to make positive healthy lifestyle choices by
providing accessible wellness education and programming. They offer free
monthly 5K races in the Heights and George Bush Park and are a recent
recipient of the Houston Press "Best Health and Fitness Enterprise." Bel
Inizio helps disadvantaged women develop self-confidence and life skills
through fitness and nutrition. Participants train to complete a 5K, which
helps prepare them for the ultimate race - the race for a better life.
Promoting Accessibility for all Participants
The HMF will provide free entry fees for Duo Team wheelchair captains and
for guides who assist runners participating in the Visually Impaired
division at the 2017 Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend of Events. The
Foundation also supports the Brookwood Community with the Cross Country
Championships Run, which is conducted annually to promote awareness of the
campus and fundraise for the development of a campus running trail. Event
Day at Brookwood also features the Citizens Run, which allows residents to
participate in their own community run/walk event with cross country
participants and volunteers. Brookwood provides meaning and purpose for
adults with disabilities.
Supporting American Elite Runners
For the fourth consecutive year, the HMF will support Team USA Minnesota,
whose training center was formed in 2001 and designed to improve the
competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop
Olympians. The HMF will also provide funding to the ZAP Fitness Foundation
for the third year in a row. The non-profit training center was founded in
2001 by the late Andy Palmer and his wife Zika as a way to give back to the
sport of distance running because it played such a significant role in both
of their lives. This will be the inaugural year of support for Northern
Arizona Elite, whose mission is to recruit, develop and produce distance
runners to compete at the very highest level of international athletics.
This year, elite athletes with disabilities will be participating on Race
Day as well, featuring 2016 U.S. Paralympic triathletes Mark Barr and
Hailey Danisewicz, as well as Paralympic long distance running American
Record Holder and World Champion Ivonne Mosquera-Schmidt. The top female
and male American finishers in the half marathon at the 2015 Special
Olympic World Summer Games will also be competing on race day, with U.S.
Special Olympic Champions Karen Dickerson running the Chevron Houston
Marathon and Alex Guild the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.
For more information on the Houston Marathon Foundation, visit
www.houstonmarathonfoundation.com.
About The Houston Marathon Foundation
Founded in 2008, the Houston Marathon Foundation is committed to supporting
the advancement of running as an element of a balanced, healthy lifestyle
in the Houston community and nationally. The primary focus of the
Foundation is to support the Houston running community; to create
opportunities for local youth and educate students on the many benefits of
long distance running; to promote participation and accessibility for
participants with disabilities; and to support the training and development
of U.S. elite runners nation-wide. The HMF is dedicated to promoting and
improving the sport of distance running and enhancing running-related
programs and community organizations that will improve and create effective
health-based initiatives. The after-school running programs supported by
the HMF provide coaching, support, guidance and opportunities annually to
over 2,000 students in the Greater Houston Region who have limited access
to fitness opportunities and many of whom train and ultimately participate
in the annual Houston Marathon Committee weekend events.
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