Courtesy: HP Houston Marathon

Marathon season officially begins in Houston Sept. 9, as more than 2,500 area runners are expected to register for the 2003 hp houston marathon and ep 13.1 miler at the annual kickoff party.

Registration will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. in Memorial Park's Picnic Loop area, south of Memorial Drive and across from the softball field parking lot. In addition to being the first to sign up for the 31st edition of the nation's premier winter marathon, marathon and ep 13.1 miler registrants will be treated to complimentary "in-training" T-shirts, free refreshments, live music and door prizes.

Runners also will be able to register for the race's accompanying 5K fun run. All three events are scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003.

"The annual kickoff party has become an important part of the overall race experience for our runners," said race director Brant Kotch. "The gathering helps them get focused, get into the spirit of the event and provides a source of motivation for the training ahead. Participants also can choose to make their race mean even more by signing up to 'Run for a Reason' to support a local nonprofit organization."

Run for a Reason is the hp houston marathon's popular charity program. Over the past eight years, nearly $1.7 million has been raised for local charities by the marathon, ep 13.1 miler and fun-run participants through pledges and donations.

Nonprofit organizations designated as official charities for the 2003 race will staff information booths at the kickoff, where runners can learn more about each charity and sign up to raise money for their favorite causes.

"Part of our commitment to the community is to support events and activities that bring Houstonians closer together," said Michael Capellas, HP president. "With more than 15,000 participants and some quarter of a million spectators during race weekend last year, the Houston Marathon does exactly that. The event also is instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Houston-area charities."

Online registration for the three Jan. 19 races will be available on the hp houston marathon Web site at www.hphoustonmarathon.com beginning Aug. 16. Runners who register online before the kickoff event will need to bring their completed online registration form to the party to pick up their free t-shirts. Registration forms will be available at many Houston-area running and fitness stores, Houston YMCAs, the Tennis Center at Memorial Park and most local athletic clubs.

The marathon entry fee is $65 and fee for the ep 13.1 miler, $45. Both races offer a $5 discount for registering online.

The hp houston marathon is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and several foreign countries. In 2002, more than 15,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (the marathon, ep 13.1 miler and four-mile run all held on Sunday and a children's run held on Saturday). 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 Web site or call (713) 957-3453.