"Downtown Houston is rapidly evolving and as this occurs over the next few years we have to plan accordingly to ensure that we continue to provide the best race day experience for our runners," stated Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee. "We are very fortunate to have the support of the Mayor's Office of Special Events, HoustonFirst, Metro, West University Place, Public Works, and the Downtown Management District, as well as all of the local agencies and districts who work with us year-round to help us host a world-class event annually."
Following are a few of the changes to the two courses in 2015:
- The Start Line will be moved forward 190 feet to Congress at San Jacinto.
- The Finish Line is moved to Lamar at Crawford in front of the Grove Restaurant between the Hilton Americas and Discovery Green Park.
- To accommodate the construction on Shepherd, the course will not go south on Shepherd to San Felipe from West Gray. All runners will now continue straight/westward on West Gray/Inwood and then south on Kirby, in the northbound (east side of the street) lanes.
- The Aramco Houston Half Marathon course will now turn south on Montrose, then north on Main Street and west on Bissonnet before turning north on Montrose again, passing the Mecom Fountain and Museum of Fine Arts landmarks.
"Residents of West U always express how much they look forward to the Houston Marathon each year," said Bob Fry, Mayor of West University Place. "We are excited to celebrate another Houston Marathon and look forward to supporting the runners."
"The Houston Marathon is an outstanding annual event for the City of Houston," added Jamie Brewster, President and Executive Director, Upper Kirby District. "The residential and business communities really flock to this event as a way to come together, not just in support of the runners, but also in support of their City. Upper Kirby is proud to host a length of this event on Kirby Drive. It truly is an asset to the community that we can look forward to each year."
The 2015 Race Weekend will also play host to the U.S. Half Marathon Championships, to be run in conjunction with the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, as well as the ABB 5K which will be run on Saturday, January 17.
The new course map for the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon can be found here: 2015 Chevron Houston Marathon & Aramco Houston Half Marathon course map. For more information on the Chevron Houston Marathon Race Weekend, visit www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com