New Sponsors Join Houston Marathon Weekend of Events and Existing Partners Increase their Support

Molly Huddle, Aramco Half Marathon, photo by PhotoRun.net

The Houston Marathon Weekend is one week away. One of the most successful marathons in the world, Houston continues to innovate and build their 5k, Half Marathon and Marathon events. This release is on the health of sponsors.

New Sponsors Join Houston Marathon Weekend of Events and Existing Partners Increase their Support

Houston (Jan. 10, 2019) – The Houston Marathon Committee (HMC) is pleased to announce new sponsorship support for its annual weekend of events. The 2019 Houston Marathon Weekend of Events boasts increased partnership from both Chevron Corporation and Aramco Services Company with their co-sponsorship of the We Are Houston 5K presented by Aramco and Chevron.

“We’ve been a proud title sponsor of the Chevron Houston Marathon for 14 years,” said Jeff Shellebarger, President of Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company. “Expanding our participation to include co-sponsorship of Saturday’s festivities for the We Are Houston 5K alongside Aramco is a natural fit.”

The co-sponsorship of the We Are Houston 5K presented by Aramco and Chevron, taking place Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, gives both organizations official title sponsorship rights over the entire weekend of running events.

“This is our 15^th year as the title sponsor of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and extending our support to the We Are Houston 5K race furthers our commitment to the Houston Marathon Committee and the City of Houston,” said Basil Abul-Hamayel, President & CEO, Aramco Services Company. “Sponsoring the 5K race allows us to create even more memories for more runners. We are excited to make this possible.”

The Houston Marathon Health and Fitness EXPO presented by Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist also takes a new name with another co-branded sponsor partnership between Texas Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist. The partnership allows for the Houston community to learn about the healthy progression of running and fitness through life, beginning as children all the way through adulthood. The two-day EXPO will feature more than 100 health and fitness vendors. The EXPO is a free, family-friendly event, and it is open to the public Jan. 18 and 19, 2019.

The HMC is also excited to announce, for the first time ever in the Houston Marathon Weekend of Events history, the addition of LTI as the Official Race Crew Volunteer Sponsor. Their support of the more than 7,000 Race Crew volunteers over race weekend will help LTI celebrate the spirit of “human endeavor” and “pushing boundaries” through a humble contribution towards solving for the society.

“We strive to partner with sponsors that share similar goals and values as we do; to provide our runners with the best possible experience, raise awareness for local charity organizations and shine a light on our Houston spirit,” said Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the HMC. “We believe these new and extended partnerships accomplish exactly that.”

ADDITIONAL STORIES OF INTEREST FOR RACE WEEKEND

• Meb Keflezghi will lead a shakeout run presented by Fleet Feet Houston at the Memorial Park Running Center on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 5 p.m. The Olympic medalist, Boston Marathon winner, and Houston favorite will be available to meet and greet runners. Event is free and open to the public.
• BEDGEAR will feature an interactive booth at the Houston Marathon Health & Fitness EXPO showcasing the “Build Your Launchpad” M3 customization wall, paralleling the customer experience that will be installed in Exclusive Furniture’s seven new BEDGEAR Performance Shop-in-Shops. Runners can find their personalized fit of Performance pillow and mattress together in the semi-enclosed pod. Media is invited to attend and get fit for and gifted a Performance Pillow.
• Houston BCycle will offer free rides during the 2019 Houston Marathon Weekend of Events. Walk up to any Houston BCycle station and use promo code 26219 for a free 30-minute ride. Return the bike to any station to end your trip and stop the clock. You can use this code as many times as you want from Friday, Jan. 18, through Sunday, Jan. 20. If you’d like to get unlimited hour-long rides, memberships are available at www.HoustonBCycle.com
• METRO is partnering with the Houston Marathon Committee and offering free METRORail rides to all participants wearing race bibs on the day of the races – Sunday, Jan. 20.
• Local Houston Artist Janavi M. Folmsbee provides inspiration for the Houston Marathon Weekend of Events with her commissioned painting Houston Reflections — Momentum from Resilience.Elements from her design will be reflected throughout aspects of the entire weekend. The artist will also be available for poster autographs at the Houston Marathon Health & Fitness EXPO.
• Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Program celebrates its 25^th Anniversary at the 2019 Houston Marathon Weekend of Events. Since the program’s inception in 1995, runners have raised nearly $30 million for local Houston charity organizations. Two charities have been a part of the program for all 25 years, Houston Area Parkinson’s Society and CanCare. They will be celebrated as honorary starters for Sunday’s Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon events.
• The Houston Hundred presented by Matrix Fitness, is a charity challenge being tackled by three ultra running brothers. The Izzo brothers will cover 73.8 miles via treadmill at the Houston Marathon Health & Fitness EXPO on Saturday, and then complete their 100 mile journey once they cross the finish line of the 26.2 mile Chevron Houston Marathon. EXPO visitors are encouraged to make a small donation to run with them on an additional treadmill and commit to the challenge of moving. All proceeds will benefit the Houston Marathon Foundation
• The Chevron STEM Zone features learning stations that bring various STEM lessons to life for adults and children alike! The exhibits use sports themes familiar to students to bring engagement to science, technology, engineering and math by showing their real world applications. The one will be located at RunFest on Discovery Green Saturday, Jan. 19, 7-10 a.m. and Sunday, Jan. 20, 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. and is open to the public.
• Aramco Services Company celebrates 15 years of partnership with the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in 2019. Through the history of this 15 year partnership, 12 Aramco Houston Half Marathon runners have completed all 15 half marathons. The celebration of partnership will be showcased throughout the weekend of events.
• HEB celebrates 20 years of community partnership with the Houston Marathon at the 2019 events, having served more than 286,656 finishers meals, 50,000 bananas, 10,000 gallons of coffee and countless ice cream sandwiches (a runner favorite) with their sponsorship support.

About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.

Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC) is a founding member of Running USA and annually organizes the nation’s premier winter marathon, half-marathon and 5K. Over 300,000 participants, volunteers and spectators make Chevron Houston Marathon Race Day the largest single-day sporting event in Houston. Recognized by the IAAF, the Gold Label Aramco Houston Half Marathon has held 16 U.S. Half Marathon Championships and the Silver Label Chevron Houston Marathon has been the race site for three U.S. Olympic Trials Marathons. For six consecutive years, the events have garnered Gold Certification from the Council of Responsible Sport and were also awarded the 2015 AIMS Green Award for industry-leading sustainability initiatives. Race Weekend generates over $50 million in economic impact for the region annually. In addition to its economic impact, the HMC facilitates social responsibility through its Run for a Reason Charity Program which has raised over $29 million since its inception and the Houston Marathon Foundation, which serves the greater Houston area through support of youth and community organizations that promote access to and participation in running. The event is televised annually with 2016 being the first time the race received national and international syndication airing on ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network.

The 47th running of the Chevron Houston Marathon race weekend, also featuring the Aramco Houston Half Marathon and We Are Houston 5K, will take place January 18-20, 2019. Registration is still open for the marathon and 5K. Half marathon entries are currently only available via the Run for a Reason charity program.

For more information, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.