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|  2002 Compaq Houston Marathon to celebrate 30 years of running September 7, 2001
Click here to view the brand-new Compaq Houston Marathon course Click here to view the brand-new El Paso Half Marathon course
More than 12,000 runners are expected to participate in four
events during race weekend 2002 as the Compaq Houston Marathon
celebrates 30 years of running in Houston. Race weekend is
scheduled for the third week of January, with the 26.2-mile main
event set for Sunday, Jan. 20.
In addition to the 30th anniversary of the marathon, the weekend
will feature the two-day Subway Health & Fitness Expo, Texas
Children's Hospital Kids' Fun Run and two new events - the
13.1-miler and Uptown Park 4.
"The new races will increase participation, giving runners of
all abilities the chance to be part of the excitement of race
weekend," said David Hannah, race director. "The expansion of
the Compaq Athlete Tracking System, which lets fans follow the
progress of runners, will cover all three Sunday events -
another Houston first. Our 30th year will be our best yet."
Due to extensive downtown roadwork, the marathon course is being
redesigned to direct runners through neighborhoods, such as the
historic Heights, not included in previous years. The 13.1-
miler and Uptown Park 4 will start and finish at the marathon's
host venue, the
George R. Brown Convention Center, and use portions of the
revised course. "Our first year of sponsoring the Compaq Houston Marathon was a
tremendous success, and we intend to build on that success in
2002," said Michael D. Capellas, Compaq chairman and CEO. "The
marathon pioneered the use of wireless technology to track
runners along the racecourse last year, and we will take the
system to the next level in 2002. We will expand the Compaq
wireless runner tracking system to the two new races and also
provide additional checkpoints along the marathon course to
allow fans to more closely follow the action."
The 7:30 a.m. marathon start time, which debuted in 2001, will
return for the 2002 race. The 30-minute earlier start enabled
more runners to complete the race before temperatures reached
uncomfortably warm levels, while still ensuring enough daylight
to get the legions of volunteers and Hoopla fans in place on the
course. The official course time limit will remain 5 1/2 hours.
Texas Children's will stage its third annual fun run in 2002,
with more than 5,000 middle-school students expected to
participate after setting an event record with 3,500 runners
last year.
The Compaq Houston Marathon is administered by an executive
committee of volunteers and involves more than 5,000 additional
volunteers on race weekend. The city's largest single-day
sporting event, the race is a member of Running USA, a nonprofit
group devoted to improving the status of road racing in the
United States.
Further information is available at
www.compaqhoustonmarathon.com or by calling
(713) 957-3453.
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