Posted: April 17, 2007

Athletics (RWire): Another Houston Marathon Record: Runners Raise $841,000 for Charity

Money benefits 35 local non-profit organizations HOUSTON - (April 12, 2007) - While Ryan Hall set the U.S. half-marathon record in Houston last January, thousands of other participants in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and Houston Press/Smart Financial Credit Union 5K set another record as well. Runners in the three races raised $841,000 for 35 area charities through the event's Run for a Reason charity program, race organizers have announced. That's an increase of almost 28 percent over last year's total of $660,000. "Everyone associated with the race is proud of the thousands of runners who not only trained for their event, but went the extra mile and raised money for so many local charities," said Race Director Brant Kotch. The Run for a Reason program has raised almost $6 million through pledges and donations in its 13-year existence. "Chevron is very proud our association with the Chevron Houston Marathon," Dave Feldman, community affairs representative for Chevron, said. "It has enriched our community for 35 years and promises to continue to do so for many years to come. The Marathon's Run for a Reason program is an especially important element of the race that raises money for more than 30 local charities. We're excited to learn of the record-breaking contributions resulting from the 2007 Chevron Houston Marathon and look forward to continued growth of this important program." A list of this year's charities and information about the program can be found at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com; click on the "Run for a Reason" link in the left navigation bar. The fund-raising record is only the latest in a string of records set in this year's races. In addition to Hall's U.S. half-marathon record (59:43), other race records established were: * Female marathon winner Dire Tune set a course record when she clocked a 2:26:52. * The race set a registration record when it reached its cap of 15,000 six weeks before race day. * A record 14 athletes qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon. The 36th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon is set for Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008. 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 more than 30 foreign countries. The race celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2007. The 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 at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or call (713) 957-3453. Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director (805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016 Ryan@RunningUSA.org www.RunningUSA.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest