Indian Community Participates in the 2010 Houston City Marathon
JANUARY 22, 2010

HOUSTON: The 38th edition of the Houston Marathon took place on Sunday, Jan 17, 2010.

The races started and ended at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. There were 22,000 registered for the Full and Half Marathon races, and another 4,500 for the 5K race. There were world-class runners competing at the event. Many records were broken that day. The Houston Marathon website has all the details. It was 42 degrees at start about 7 AM and by 10 AM the temperature had climbed to a comfortable 52 degrees. It was a little bit more crowded than normal, yet it was one terrific Marathon this year!

Several hundred members of the Indo American community participated in the Houston Marathon, either running the races, volunteering at the Brown Convention Center and giving out Gatorade and water along the route, or just watching and cheering the runners along.

Dozens of members of the IndoAmFit group (an Indo American marathon and fitness support group) ran the races. The non-profit “Asha for Education” was one of many charities in the “Run for a Reason” program sponsored by the Houston Marathon organizers; they had runners and also a prominent “hoopla” booth at Mile 24. Congratulations to all members of the Indo American community who participated and successfully completed this year’s Houston Marathon.

The Full Marathon (26.2 miles), Half (13.1 miles) and the 5K races offer tremendous excitement and a sense of achievement to the participants. For some, the time target is important and for others it is just to complete the distance. The finisher medal and t-shirt (and for some just the aches and pains) will be reminders of this year’s Houston Marathon for many years.

The 2010 Full and Half marathons got sold around in 3 days from announcement. The 5K got sold early as well. Many missed signing up and were disappointed. It is not too early to start thinking about the 2011 Houston Marathon. The date is Jan 31, 2011, two weeks later than usual. The registration will open on Tuesday, Jul 27, 2010.

While the Houston Marathon is a serious international event, it accommodates many who just want to go the distance for the experience. The weather and preparation for the event are different each year. The arrangements the organizers make are a bit different each year and the course varies slightly but the event is always well organized, well run and well attended. It always provides an exhilarating and memorable experience. And it is happening in our town!
IndoAmFit@yahoogroups.com is a support group started in 2004 by Sesh Bala. The sole purpose of IndoAmFit is to provide information about the Houston Marathon and other such distance & physical fitness events. The members provide support and encouragement to each other and help increase the overall participation from among the Asian Indian community in the Marathon and such endurance events. Members share their marathon and training experiences with others in the group. This Yahoogroup is also used to provide information on the Gandhi Peace Walk held in October.

To join the group, email to IndoAmFit-subscribe@yahoogroups.com