Courtesy: event press release

The Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and EP5K have added a major new component and a new sponsor to its family of events for 2009.

The trio of races will offer a Team Challenge competition on race day, January 18, 2009, and organizers have signed ABB, a Zurich, Switzerland-based company with a major presence in the Houston area, as title sponsor of the event.

"ABB was looking for a way to get more involved with the local Houston community, and the opportunity to get involved with the Chevron Houston Marathon was a good fit," said Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB's Process Automation division. "We are proud to support many charitable organizations around the world, and sponsoring the Team Challenge gives us an opportunity to support an activity which benefits local Houston communities. Of course we are also proud and excited to be associated with the Chevron Houston Marathon, which is one of the most well respected events in the city of Houston."

The ABB Team Challenge will have dual-purpose fitness and fundraising goals, encouraging companies, running clubs, charity groups and individuals to form teams to participate in the marathon, half marathon or 5K. Awards will be presented to top racing teams and top fundraising teams.

"As organizers, we felt the timing was right for our Committee to add a Team Challenge to our mix of events. Having the largest marathon and half marathons in Texas certainly enables us to draw from a large participant base," said Steven Karpas, Director of Marketing & Race Development for the Houston Marathon Committee. "Of course, having ABB affix itself to the Team Challenge can only help enhance the competition."

The team aspect is expected to further increase the contribution the races make annually to both the local economy and charitable organizations in the community. As Houston's largest single-day sporting event, the economic impact of the event totals more than $30 million annually, and the races raised a record $1.26 million for charity in 2008. The three races and Kids' Fun Run attracted 24,000 participants, 5,000 volunteers and 200,000 spectators this year.

ABB provides power and automation technologies to utility and industry customers to improve performance and reduce environmental impact. The company employs 500 people in the Houston area, global headquarters of its Process Automation Division, and more than 110,000 people in about 100 countries worldwide.

Details of the ABB Team Challenge are available at www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com.