HOUSTON, USATF reports - The Houston Marathon Committee, in conjunction with presenting sponsor Aramco Services Company, announced that Houston will once again host the USA Half Marathon Championships. The 2011 edition of the USATF sanctioned event will be conducted on Saturday, January 29 at 8:00 a.m., one day prior to the 39th annual Chevron Houston Marathon.The 2011 Championships will be run on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon course, an eight-mile loop route designed to give athletes a preview of the Olympic Trials course. The Championships will also allow athletes to experience the Houston Marathon Committee's operating plans for the 2012 Olympic Trials.The top 150 male and female athletes are expected to compete in Houston next January.
"The decision by the Board of Directors to move the Championships to the day before our annual Sunday events will result in a truly memorable weekend of running for both participants and spectators," said Brant Kotch, Race Director and President of the Houston Marathon Committee. "Not only does it give our best American distance runners an opportunity to preview the 2012 Olympic Trials course under race conditions, it also allows our organizing committee to plan and test the 2012 format."
The 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships will mark Houston's seventh and fifth year to host the men's and women's races respectively.
Houston will host the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials - Marathon on Saturday, January 14, 2012, a first for a single city to host both the men's and women's events.
The general public will be given a unique opportunity to run with the elite athletes competing in the 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships. A limited number of VIP packages will be offered to the public during race registration which opens on Tuesday, July 27 at 6:00 a.m. CST. Details about the VIP packages can be found on the event website (houstonmarathon.com).
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