The lottery for the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon opened Wednesday morning. But there is a way you could win a guaranteed spot.
On this National Running Day, the folks who run the marathon are setting up a party at Memorial Park designed to get runners fired up for this year's Chevron Houston Marathon.
The Party in the Park will feature music, food, drinks and t-shirt giveaways plus a raffle for five entries into the marathon. It runs from 4pm to 8pm Wednesday.
This is the 41st year of the marathon and there are some changes: the participant cap is a thousand more than last year at 25,000, and they have moved the 5K race to Saturday, giving runners more space in all events.
Also there is a third time's a charm rule where runners denied entry the last two years are getting 400 spots.
For everyone else, registry starts today online and goes through June 21.
On June 25, you will find out if you got a space. For those who don't and still want to run, there are spaces set aside for charities who are guaranteed entry, so if you want to take part in the Run For A Reason program, you can both run the marathon and help someone in need.
"We raised $2.3 million dollars in 2011 alone. It's fantastic," said Wade Morehead, Exec. Dir. of the Houston Marathon Committee.
The entry fees this year are the same as last year: $125 for the marathon, $105 for the half marathon and the 5K is $25.
The marathon and half marathon will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2013.
For more information, you can visit ChevronHoustonMarathon.com.
