Houston Marathon Committee Announces 2017 Local Elite Field

HOUSTON (December 30, 2016) – The Houston Marathon Committee announced today the 41 athletes who will comprise the local elite field at the 2017 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon. Race weekend is set for January 13-15, 2017.

Local Elite status in the 2017 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon is awarded to the first local finisher per category who achieves the minimum qualifying standards in the 2016 Chevron Houston Marathon and each of the 2016 selected local qualifying races – the Space City 10 Miler, the Luke’s Locker Half Marathon, the HMSA Classical 25K and the Fort Bend Kia 30K.

To be considered eligible as a “local” for the Local Elite Program, runners must be able to prove permanent residence in one of the following 19 counties from the period beginning January 17, 2016 through race day January 15, 2017: Austin; Brazoria; Chambers; Fort Bend; Galveston; Grimes; Hardin; Harris; Jefferson; Liberty; Matagorda; Montgomery; Orange; Polk; San Jacinto; Walker; Waller; Washington; and Wharton.

Perks of the Local Elite Program include complimentary entry into the Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Houston Half Marathon, special elite athlete check-in and packet pick-up, along with a pre-race technical meeting hosted by the senior director of the Elite Athlete Program. Local elites are also granted access to the Elite Hospitality Suite for snacks and pre-race fueling and invited to the elite athlete pre-race dinner on Saturday evening. On race day, they will take a shuttle to the elite athlete start line tent and will be given a priority location on the start line, just behind the elite field. Following the race, local elites will have access to indoor post-race facilities to stretch and cool down, receive a massage and nourishment.

2016 Chevron Houston Marathon	Men	Women
Open	Austin Roth	Megan Saloom
40-49	Michael Defee	Laura Bennett
50-59	Francisco Garza	Lilia Vasquez
60-69	Jerry Hammervold	Carole Uttecht
70+	–	–
Other Local Invited Runners	Men	Women
Most Houston Marathon Finishes	Jack Lippincott	Maria Camacho
2003 Houston Marathon Men’s Open Winner	Sean Wade
2016 Space City 10 Miler	Men	Women
Open	Drew Bean	Mary Davies
40-49	Luis Armenteros	Catherine Kruppa
50-59	Dan Byrne	Allyson Serrao
60-69	Peter Mullin	Sabra Harvey
70-79	–	–
2016 Luke’s Locker Half Marathon	Men	Women
Open	Zach Cater-Cyker	Lauren Stroud
40-49	Peter Lawrence	Stacy Holden
50-59	Wilmer Bustillos	Barbara Stoll
60-69	Joe Melanson	Billie Kay Melanson
70+	–	Susan Waldau
2016 HMSA Classical 25K	Men	Women
Open	Ryan Smith	Jackie Tobin
40-49	Gabor Olah	–
50-59	Sim Cuevas	Suzy Seeley
60-69	Jamal Jamalyaria	Theresa Pearsall
70+	Ben Harvie	Cookie Thompson
2016 Fort Bend Kia 30K	Men	Women
Open	Jeremy Saums	Elizabeth Sauvageau
40-49	–	–
50-59	–	Joy Smith
60-69	–	Donna Sterns
70+	–	–

Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC) 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. A founding member of Running USA, the HMC is an IAAF bronze level event that retained Gold Certification from the Council of Responsible Sport and was awarded the AIMS Green Award for industry-leading sustainability initiatives. Race Weekend generates over $50 million in economic impact for the region annually. In 2016, the Run for a Reason Charity Program raised $2.3 million, while the Houston Marathon Foundation supported youth and community running initiatives. Televised annually by broadcast partner ABC13, 2016 was the first time that the event was syndicated live nationally and internationally on ESPN3 and the Longhorn Network. Host to 16 U.S. Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and the 1992 women’s Olympic Trials Marathon, the HMC also conducted the 2012 men’s and women’s U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon.