FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston Marathon Foundation to Support
Student, Local Running Initiatives
Marathon Partner Skechers to Provide Free Shoes to HISD Students
HOUSTON (November 16, 2014) - The Houston Marathon Foundation (HMF)
announced today that it is providing $50,000 in support of youth and local
running programs across the Greater Houston Region. Since its inception in
2008, the HMF has provided over $700,000 in support of local youth
initiatives, health and wellness programs, national elite runners, and
community enhancement projects in Houston.
The Foundation is supporting a number of initiatives this year including
Students Run Houston, Girls on the Run Greater Houston, Bel Inizio, and the
Houston Wellness Project.
"While the Chevron Houston Marathon race weekend has grown considerably
over the past four decades, it remains first and foremost a community event
and our Foundation is committed to supporting local running programs for
our youth and others who are learning about all of the benefits of
running," said Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon
Foundation. "Anyone can be a runner regardless of miles ran or speed, and
we want to create initiatives and support local programs that introduce new
runners to the sport, create opportunities and enhance the experience of
current runners in the Greater Houston Region."
The Students Run Houston initiative will disperse 100 pairs of shoes from
Skechers, provide over 200 race entries and tech shirts, donate coaching
stipends and assist with transportation needs for students participating in
after-school running programs at Katy Students Run (Morton Ranch High
School and Katy High School), Chavez High School, Sharpstown High School,
Trinity Classical School and Ortiz Middle School. All of these students
will be participating in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half
Marathon or the ABB 5K on race weekend January 17-18, 2015.
"The Houston Marathon Foundation makes it possible for us to do what we
do," said Jenny Demarest, founder of Katy Students Run. "KSR uses training
for a half marathon as a way to illustrate concepts related to setting and
achieving goals. It's a perfect partnership: the HMF has the ability to
give our participants entry to the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, thereby
enabling a venue for our big and audacious goal. We could target a
different event, but the Chevron Houston Marathon, the Aramco Houston Half
Marathon and the ABB 5K are big and grand, they draw an impressive field
and hundreds of thousands of cheering fans. We've worked with the
Foundation since 2009 and the partnership continues to strengthen and grow
as both parties seek additional events and avenues to grow the program
together."
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. The organization's curricula seek to address all
aspects of the girls' development to enhance their physical, emotional,
mental, social, and spiritual well-being while establishing a lifetime
appreciation of health and fitness.
"The girls in our program will benefit, not only from the generous funding
provided by the Houston Marathon Foundation, but also from the exposure to
elite athletes that HMF and GOTRGH are providing with our Adopt an Athlete
Program," said Mary T. Callahan, Executive Director of Girls on the Run
Greater Houston. "Already, coaches and girls have mentioned how cool it is
that they have been able to communicate with these women athletes and how
excited they are to see them compete at the Chevron Houston Marathon, where
many of the coaches and participants will be manning the fueling station at
mile 6.5. This kind of exposure gives our girls an opportunity to see, up
close and personal, that with dreams, and hard work, you can accomplish
anything."
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. In the training process they learn about commitment, fitness, and
nutrition. They see healthy behaviors in action and are offered tools to
help them succeed once they are out on their own. Bel Inizio shows each
woman that they matter.
"This fall we have teams from four transitional housing locations or
agencies all working towards the same goal: to complete their first race -
the ABB 5K," said Bel Inizio Executive Director Theresa Strong. "HMF
started supporting Bel Inizio when we had only a few women completing each
program. This January, the generous support of the HMF is making it
possible for 80 women to cross the finish line and begin their own
Beautiful Beginning."
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 a free
monthly 5K in the heights and George Bush Park and are a recent recipient
of the Houston Press "best health and wellness enterprise."
"We believe that wellness is a daily process that never ends and is never
too late to begin," said Azita Di Marco of the Houston Wellness Project.
"We are excited to work with the Houston Marathon Foundation and thankful
for their support in bringing the Free Houston Wellness 5K's to everyone in
the greater Houston community."
For more information, visit www.houstonmarathonfoundation.com.
About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running
USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter
marathon, half-marathon, and 5K. Over 250,000 participants, volunteers and
spectators make Chevron Houston Marathon Race Day the largest single-day
sporting event in Houston. Race Weekend generates over $50 million in
economic impact for the region annually. In 2014, the Run For a Reason
Charity Program raised a record $2.6 million and the HMC retained Gold
Certification from the Council of Responsible Sport for industry-leading
sustainability initiatives. Host to 14 U.S. Half Marathon Championships
since 2005 and the 1992 women's Olympic Trials Marathon, the HMC conducted
the nationally-televised 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, which featured
men and women competing on the same course simultaneously for the first
time, vying for the chance to represent Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games.
For more information, visit www.houstonmarathonfoundation.com or call
713.957.3453.
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