Official Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason Charities Announced

HOUSTON (May 4, 2016) – The Houston Marathon Committee on Wednesday announced the official charities for the 2016-2017 Chevron Houston Marathon Run for a Reason charity program. The new charity lineup offers a variety of important causes including medical research and support, community outreach, animal protection and more.

Linking 33,000 runners with 62 official charities, the Run for a Reason (RFAR) charity program provides an avenue for race participants, individuals and organizations to collect donations on behalf of an official charity of their choice. It also provides a platform for charities to raise awareness and educate others about their cause.

“The Run for a Reason initiative generated an astounding 18,500 donations this year primarily due to the generous running community in Houston and we hope to surpass that number in 2017,” said Wade Morehead, Executive Director of the Houston Marathon Committee and Houston Marathon Foundation. “The Houston runners who fund-raise for the official RFAR charities contribute significantly to their causes and truly make a positive impact on this community. We are all very grateful as this is the primary annual fund-raising platform for many of our official charities.”

The 2015-2016 season marked the sixth year in a row that fundraising surpassed the $2 million mark. Since the program’s inception in 1995, more than $24 million has been raised to benefit various charities.

How to participate
The Run for a Reason program offers guaranteed ways to enter the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

Beginning on May 5th, a limited number of guaranteed charity entries become available on a first-come, first-served basis. HERO charity entries enable runners to make an upfront, tax-deductible donation of at least $350 to an official Run for a Reason charity of their choice, plus the cost of registration, to secure a guaranteed race entry. More information on HERO entries can be found here . Individuals can also purchase a guaranteed entry for someone else through the Gift a HERO program.

Beginning June 1st, a limited number of Fundraising for Registration (FFR) charity entries will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Fundraising for Registration charity entries give runners an opportunity to fundraise for an official Run for a Reason charity of their choice and receive a guaranteed race entry. Participating charities set their own fundraising minimums and deadlines, and runners should contact the organizations directly. More information can be found here.

The Run for a Reason Kickoff Party will be held Thursday, June 16, 2016 at Memorial Park from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m CT. Participants are encouraged to pickup an “In Training” shirt and visit with official charities, running clubs and sponsors. Shirts will be available to the first 2,000 participants who are registered for the 2017 Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Houston Half Marathon.

The 2017 Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon are scheduled for Sunday, January 15, 2017, while the ABB 5K will be held the day before on Saturday, January 14.