Posted: November 7, 2005

Athletics: Prize purse increases for 2006 Chevron Houston Marathon

HOUSTON - (Nov. 3, 2005) - The Chevron Houston Marathon is increasing its prize purse to further rekindle international interest in the nation's premier winter marathon.

More than $172,000 will be at stake for elite runners in both the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, with top prizes of $15,000 going to the male and female winners of the marathon and $5000 to the winners of the half-marathon.

"Increasing the amount of prize money we're offering is an important step in providing incentives for the top runners in the world to come to Houston," race director Brant Kotch said. "With a flat course, traditionally ideal weather conditions and great crowd support, we have all the ingredients necessary to produce world-class times in both the marathon and half marathon."

The $172,900 prize structure includes payouts to the top finishers in several participation categories in both races, including:

* Men's and Women's Open 
* Men's and Women's Masters 
* Wheelchair Competitors 
* Houston-area Men and Women 
* Houston-area Men's and Women's Masters 

All athletes will be eligible to win prize money in more than one category.

A portion of the prize offerings has been allocated to the USA Men's Half Marathon Championship, which will be part of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon for the second consecutive year. The country's top distance runners will compete for $21,000 in prizes, with $7000 for the national champion.

A new prize offering for the 2006 Chevron Houston Marathon is a time-bonus purse. Competitors in both the men's and women's race have the opportunity to achieve substantial bonuses for running specified world-class times, including a $7500 bonus for a new course record. Time bonus incentives are detailed below:

TIME BONUS
Non-cumulative, first runner only

Bonus Men / Women
$2000 = sub-2:13 / sub-2:31
$3000 = sub-2:12 / sub-2:30
$5000 = sub-2:11 / sub-2:29
$7500 = sub-2:10:04 / sub-2:27:51 (course record)

The 2006 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon are scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 15.

The Chevron Houston Marathon race weekend, which marks the 34th running of the marathon, will also include the Houston Press/Smart Financial 5K and the Texas Children's Hospital Kids' Fun Run. Registration is under way online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com. Registration fees are $90 for the marathon, $70 for the half-marathon and $25 for the 5K.

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 nearly 20 foreign countries. The Chevron 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.

More information is available online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or by calling (713) 957-3453.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.