Texas Marathon

The Texas Marathon features a low-key, four-loop, flat, fast, tree lined course, certified Boston qualifier, with custom shirts, finisher medals, and a complimentary pizza lunch after the event. All proceeds from this event are donated to the Marathon Challenge program which promotes running to almost 10,000 local elementary school students. There will be water, sports drink, and portacans available every 1.5 miles at each of the aid stations. There are snacks available at the start/stop aid station (every 6.5 miles). Each participant and volunteer will receive a custom designed t-shirt. Each marathon finisher will receive a finisher medal and snazzy squeezie “Tex” the cowboy bull. Hot pizza is provided after the race and is delivered each hour. Runners must complete their event by sunset. There is no early start because of park regulations and we are busy setting up the aid stations. Rick Worley was the reason for starting the Texas Marathon in 2000. He was working on setting a Guinness World Record for the most marathons on consecutive weekends when he ran 200 in 159 consecutive weeks. There was not a marathon being held during the Christmas weekend in 1999, which would have broken Rick’s streak. We organized the Free Kingwood Marathon and held it on 12/26/99. Rick went to Ohio to run a series of marathons between Christmas and New Year’s. He needed a marathon on New Year’s Day and could only find a very difficult ultra marathon. We offered to organize another marathon six days after the Free Kingwood Marathon using the same course, with a new name, “Jammin’ in January” and held it on New Year’s Day. The race has been held on New Year’s Day every year since then. Rick completed the Texas Marathon four times and participated in it every year until 2006 when he injured his ankle. He completed 299 marathons including at least four in every state and also at least one on six continents. Rick Worley was tragically killed in a traffic accident on 7/25/10. We send our love to Rick’s family. We will miss Rick, his laugh and his love of friends, family and marathoning. LESS