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Houston Marathon Hall of Fame

Over the past 36 years, many people have contributed to the success of the Houston Marathon, from runners to volunteers to race officials. In order to honor those who have helped bring the Houston Marathon from its humble beginnings to its current status as one of the nation’s premiere marathons, the Houston Marathon Committee has established the Houston Marathon Hall of Fame.

Each year, the Houston Marathon Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who went above and beyond the call of duty to make the Houston Marathon a success. We welcome the class of 2008 to the Houston Marathon Hall of Fame and thank them for their significant contributions to this great event.

Houston Marathon Hall of Fame: Class of 2008

Austin O’Toole

Austin joined the Houston Marathon Board of Directors in 1979, when George Kleeman was the race director. During his time on the board, Austin’s responsibilities included runner registration and oversight of the EXPO. He also represented the board as attorney, beginning with the negotiations that led to Methodist Hospital becoming the Houston Marathon’s title sponsor in 1997. He established the Veterans’ Committee in 1985 to honor all runners who have finished 10 or more Houston Marathons. Every year, Austin brings his collection of Houston Marathon t-shirts from prior years to display at the Veterans’ Booth at the EXPO.

Maria Camacho

In 1973, a Resident Assistant at Maria’s dorm at Purdue told her that running 1 mile would burn off a small soft-serve ice cream cone. Maria began running that week in order to continue enjoying soft serve ice cream, and has been running ever since. Maria and her husband, Jesse, ran their first Houston Marathon in 1983, and have both run the race every year since. The couple holds the 2nd-longest streak of any husband and wife team, and Maria is tied for the most Houston Marathons run by a female. Maria’s fastest Houston Marathon finish came in 1987, when she ran a 3:03.

Houston Marathon Hall of Fame: Class of 2007

Pete League

Pete was the Houston Marathon’s first race director. He was transferred from the Bay Area to Houston for his job with Shell in 1971 and quickly became involved in the Houston running scene. In 1972, he decided that Houston needed a marathon. There were 138 runners who toed the line on that day in December 1972 for a five-loop tour of Memorial Park. Pete directed the first three Houston Marathons, and in April 1975 he went on to found another local fixture, the Bayou City Fun Run. Pete now lives in Austin and comes over every year to help out with the Houston Marathon – this year he’ll be in charge of security in the George R. Brown Convention Center.

David Hannah

David was the race director of the Houston Marathon from 1980 to 2002. This was a time of tremendous growth for the Houston Marathon: the race hosted about 700 runners in 1980, and almost 10,000 ran in 2002. During this period of time, David also oversaw negotiations that led to the race’s first three title sponsors: Tenneco Inc., Methodist Health Care System, and Compaq Computer Company. In 1982, under David’s direction, Houston became only the 6th race in the nation to offer a prize purse, at the time given in the form of a trust in the winner’s name in order to preserve the runners’ amateur status. Every one of those first five races no longer exists, and Houston is thus the oldest race in the country to offer prize money.

James Ketelsen

James was CEO of Tenneco, Inc. from 1978 to 1991. Under his leadership, Tenneco became the title sponsor of the Houston Marathon in 1979, a position that Tenneco would hold for 17 years. At the time, Tenneco was one of the top 20 corporations in the country, and there was virtually no significant corporate sponsorship of road races. Those 17 years saw the explosive growth of the race – the watershed moment was the introduction of prize money for the 1982 race. James was also one of the pioneers of corporate fitness, and it was on his watch that Tenneco opened its Employee Fitness Center. He also started a foundation called Project GRAD, which promotes education for inner-city children. When James left Tenneco in 1991, he went to work for the foundation full-time, where he works to this day.

Tom and Mary Anne McBrayer

At the first Houston Marathon in 1972, it was the McBrayers’ station wagon that marked the turnaround point on the five-loop marathon course. They both ran in the event back in those years, and Mary Anne was twice the female masters winner of the race. They have done everything imaginable as volunteers for the event. Mary Anne served as secretary of the committee, organized all volunteers and oversaw the convention center on race day. Tom ran the finish line and kept track of all marathon equipment over the years, and has personally measured every course that the Houston Marathon has ever known. They both served on the Board of Directors, and are still active in the running scene at the local and national level through USATF, the Houston Masters running club, and the marathon warm-up series.

Jack Lippincott

Jack ran his first Houston Marathon in 1975 and hasn't missed one since. His 32 consecutive Houston Marathons to date give him the longest streak in Houston Marathon history. Jack is one of the only current runners who could give you a first-hand account of the early marathon routes in Memorial Park and the evolution of the race from a small, local affair to one of the nation’s premier road races. In addition to running, Jack is in charge of the Houston Marathon Veterans Committee and keeps track of each and every participant who has ten or more finishes at the Houston Marathon.