Posted: January 5, 2004

Athletics:Bank of Texas Supports HP Houston Marathon as Official Banking Sponsor

HOUSTON - (Dec. 29, 2003) - Bank of Texas has signed on as a flagship sponsor of the 2004 HP Houston Marathon and will serve as the official banking sponsor of the 32nd annual event.

In its first collaboration with Houston's premier running event, Bank of Texas will have its company name displayed on race-number bibs worn by runners in the marathon. In addition, Bank of Texas will host two cheering stations along the course: one in West University and another in the Tanglewood neighborhood.

"The HP Houston Marathon is more than a race, it's a community-wide event in which thousands of people get involved," said Rich Jochetz, president of the Houston division of Bank of Texas. "The event shares our vision of community involvement and supporting this Houston tradition underscores Bank of Texas' commitment to the community where our employees live and work."

Bank of Texas employees will staff the two on-course cheering stations and serve spectators "breakfast on the boulevard" in Tanglewood, near the 17-mile mark.

"I continued to be heartened by the outpouring of support from the Houston business community," said Brant Kotch, race director. "We are very fortunate to benefit from such strong corporate support in Houston and look forward to working with Bank of Texas in 2004."

The HP Houston Marathon, Halliburton International Half Marathon and Houston Press/METRO 5K are scheduled for Jan. 18.

The HP 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 20 foreign countries. In 2003, more than 17,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half-marathon, four-mile run and children's run). The HP 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.

For more information, visit the marathon website at www.hphoustonmarathon.com or call (713) 957-3453.