Courtesy: event press release

The Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and the companion 5K race are in good hands for the next several years after the marathon and half marathon title sponsors extended their contracts and El Paso Corporation, a former sponsor, has returned to put its name on the 5K. "We are extremely pleased to have three fine companies as partners in our endeavor to stage three great races for our runners," Race Director Brant Kotch said. "Their support, both financial and in spirit, help guarantee that the races will only get better with every passing year."

Chevron, title sponsor of the marathon in 2006, 2007 and 2008, has extended its sponsorship of the 26.2- mile race for an additional five years, through 2013.

Aramco Services Company has renewed its agreement as half marathon title sponsor for another three years, putting its name on that race through 2011. The company came on board as sponsor of the 13.1-mile race in 2005 and then signed a three- year deal that took the sponsorship through 2008.

El Paso Corporation, which sponsored the inaugural half marathon in 2002 and again in 2003, has signed on to sponsor the 3.1-mile race, to be called the EP5K, in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The 5K has been part of the weekend of events since 1995.

"El Paso Corporation is very pleased to once again be a sponsor of this premier Houston event," said Doug Foshee, president and CEO of El Paso. "We believe that our active support for events like this that bring together volunteers, athletes and their families is an important component of being the Neighbor to Have, part of our vision at El Paso."

"Having two of our title sponsors commit to multi-year agreements, and former sponsor El Paso Corporation back on board for three years, is tremendous for our races and our runners," said Steven Karpas, the event's director of marketing and race development. "They are great companies to partner with and their commitments to the future allow us to focus on ways we can continue to grow and improve the races each year."

The popularity of the races continued to climb last year, with the marathon and half marathon selling out six weeks in advance of the January 2007 event.

The Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and EP5K will be run on January 13, 2008.

The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA founding member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and more than 30 foreign countries. The race celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2007. The 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. More information is available at www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com or (713) 957- 3453.