The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston , Texas , United States , since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race. The 2007 race included the first-ever satellite running of the event, run simultaneously in Fallujah , Iraq .
50-409: The races bring crowds of nearly one half million to view the runners. The first marathon, run on December 30, 1972, featured 113 runners and a crowd of approximately 200 people. The course was a loop of 5 mi (8 km), and runners were served beef stew after the race. The 1979 edition of the competition hosted the national marathon championship race for men and women. Houston was selected for
100-479: A Physical Education teacher , Dietician or Nutritionist , Performance Analyst, Sports coach, Sports therapist, Fitness center manager, Sports administrator, Strength and Conditioning specialist, or retail manager of a sports store. Graduates may also be well-positioned to undertake further training to become an accredited Physiotherapist, Exercise Physiologist, Research Scientist and Sports Medical Doctor. Sports science may also be useful for providing information on
150-556: A bid for the 2019 World Championships, losing to Qatar. The choice of Eugene will make the 2021 event the first held in the United States. Runner's World magazine reported that Eugene's selection by World Athletics , then known as the International Association of Athletics Federations, was an "unusual move". They report the choice of Eugene will make the 2021 event "the first held in the United States." The event will be
200-585: A federal investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service into possible criminal conflict of interest in regards to the awarding of the 2021 World Championships in Athletics to Eugene, Oregon . Lananna was also the long time president of TrackTown USA, the hosting organization for the World Championships and had hosted the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships . Lananna
250-499: A financially successful tournament that may never arise again." Despite this, the lack of bidding for the 2021 event was not unprecedented: the 2007 World Championships were awarded to Osaka , Japan, without bidding. On July 17, 2018, Lananna also resigned as president of TrackTown USA, but has not left his position at the University. Since February 18, 2018, the interim USATF president has been Mike Conley . USA Track & Field
300-470: A football manager who won UEFA Champions League twice, reflected his studies of sport science as "sometimes it is difficult to understand if it is sport or if it is science". A 2018 study criticized the field of exercise and sports science for insufficient replication studies, limited reporting of both null and trivial results, and insufficient research transparency. Statisticians have criticized sports science for common use of magnitude-based inference ,
350-520: A prerequisite to entering those races. However, all marathons dropped this requirement for non-elite runners, causing the adult membership in USATF to drop dramatically in the 2000s. In some USATF associations, the number of youth members far exceeds the number of adult members. Today, USATF competes for youth membership with a parallel effort from the AAU, and with road racer/adult recreational runner membership with
400-550: A result, RRCA has grown to 180,000 individual or family members compared with 130,000 USATF members, many of whom are children. To the general public, the similarity in terminology used by the organizations' events can lead to confusion. For example, both USATF and AAU conduct a series of track meets called the Junior Olympics and USATF, AAU and RRCA conduct separate National Championships and State Championships. Both AAU and USATF operate 57 state or local Associations, although
450-401: A time of 3 hours, 44 minutes, 52 seconds. The 2014 edition included a 5K event run on Saturday, January 18th and the marathon and half marathon run on Sunday, January 19th. The 5K event had close to 5,000 runners while the marathon and half marathon had nearly 13,000 runners each. The 2021 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic , with all registrants given
500-556: Is a United States national governing body for the sports of track and field , cross country running , road running , and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and 1992 as The Athletics Congress (TAC) after its spin-off from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which governed the sport in the US through most of the 20th century until
550-704: Is also an Associate Athletic Director at the University of Oregon , the host stadium of the event. Lamine Diack was the IAAF president in April 2015 at the time of the award and is under house arrest in France on charges of corruption. The 2021 Championships were awarded in an unconventional fashion, without the usual formal bidding process. The selection of the host city was announced on April 16, 2015 in Beijing. Eugene previously did put in
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#1733086210452600-653: Is the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) member federation in the United States. USATF is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and selects teams for Olympic and Pan American Games competitions. To select the athletes for the Olympic Games, every Olympiad USATF conducts the Olympic Trials . USATF also has membership in, or close affiliations with,
650-622: The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 dissolved its responsibility. Based in Indianapolis , USATF is a non-profit organization with a membership of more than 130,000. The organization has three key leadership positions: CEO Max Siegel , Board of Directors Chair Steve Miller, and elected president Vin Lananna . U.S. citizens and permanent residents can be USATF members (annual individual membership fee: $ 30 for 18-year-old members and younger, $ 55 for
700-517: The George R. Brown Convention Center downtown. The course is USATF certified and is popular with runners seeking to qualify for the Boston Marathon . The race time limit is 6 hours and a limit of 27,000 entries is enforced, divided evenly between the full and half marathons. The course was changed for 2014. Changes included starting on Congress St. downtown, eliminating a section of the course through
750-661: The NCAA , the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), Running USA, and many community-based and disabled sports organizations. USA Track & Field is a Founding Sports Partner of the Sports Museum of America , joining more than 50 other single-sport Halls of Fame , National Governing Bodies, Museums and other organizations across North America to richly celebrate
800-743: The National Track and Field Hall of Fame , and an annual meeting. It also organizes the annual USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships , the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships , the USA Cross Country Championships , the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships , and the USATF National Club Track & Field Championships. Through its sanctioning program, the national body provides
850-476: The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and its member clubs. In many cases, youth track clubs join both USATF and AAU so that they can compete in both sets of track meets, and adult running clubs join both RRCA and USATF. However, unlike USATF which requires each individual runner to also become a member of USATF in order to compete in events or gain other membership benefits, when a club joins RRCA, all of its members automatically become members of RRCA as well. As
900-569: The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships to make IAAF World Championships in Athletics and Athletics at the Summer Olympics teams. Masters athletics has several Championship competitions: The USA Track & Field Legend Coach Award is an annual award to a single recipient selected by the USATF Coaches Advisory Committee. The award ceremony takes place at the annual USATF Outdoor Championships . Recipients of
950-422: The United States Olympic Committee notified USATF that its governance was deficient and threatened to remove its national governing body status unless major reforms were made. In response, at USATF's December 2008 Convention, the size of its board of directors was reduced from 31 members who had represented constituencies within the organization to 15, and none of the new directors could have an operating role in
1000-461: The 2014 annual meeting, the member delegates voted 392–70 to re-nominate Robert Hersh as the USATF's nominee to the IAAF council. At the time, Hersh was the sitting senior vice-president of the IAAF council and by virtue of that position, a USATF board member. However, the reconstituted Board disregarded the vote of the member delegates and instead voted 11–1 to nominate president Stephanie Hightower as
1050-599: The Heights, and adding 2 miles along Kirby Dr. The event supports many charities, including CanCare, Texas Children's Hospital , and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society . The current corporate sponsor of the marathon is Chevron Corporation . Aramco sponsors the half marathon and Chevron and Aramco co-sponsor the 5K run. Key: The current National Records were established during the Houston Marathon: USATF USA Track & Field ( USATF )
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#17330862104521100-450: The Nation's first all-sports museum experience. USATF is composed of 57 Associations, which are the localized administrative districts. For competition, each association is obligated to conduct (local) association championships. This is the initial rung in the competition tournaments that lead to various national championships, though many national championships do not require participation at
1150-447: The VCS helps repackage the sport, draws new fans and new sponsors, and provides increased financial incentives for USATF athletes. The VCS fills indoor arenas and outdoor stadiums across the country. Athletes compete for prize money at each meet, and the top athletes share in a bonus pool of $ 100,000. The last meet of the season is the USA Track & Field Indoor Championships . Most focus on
1200-456: The aging body. Older adults are aware of the benefits of exercise, but many are not performing the exercise needed to maintain these benefits. Sports science provides a means of allowing older people to regain more physical competence without focusing on doing so for the purposes of anti-aging. Sports science can also provide a means of helping older people avoid falls and have the ability to perform daily tasks more independently. In Australia,
1250-587: The award started in 2014 are: Sports science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally incorporates areas of physiology ( exercise physiology ), psychology ( sport psychology ), anatomy , biomechanics ( sports biomechanics ), biochemistry , and kinesiology . Sport scientists and performance consultants are growing in demand and employment numbers, with
1300-642: The boundaries of their service areas are no longer exactly the same. Regarding the funding of promising post-collegiate athletes, USATF competes with RRCA's Road Scholars program to select athletes for stipends. In 1999, the USATF established the Golden Spike Tour – later the Visa Championship Series (VCS) – to showcase track and field in America and to facilitate the broadcast of key events on national television networks. Using innovative meet formats,
1350-505: The creation of new associations. Dependent upon the association fulfilling its obligations to its membership and the number of members in the association, each association is allowed to send a delegation of representatives to the National Meeting in early December each year. This is the primary means through which the local constituents are able to have a voice in the direction the national organization. Individual members may also attend
1400-529: The ever-increasing focus within the sporting world on achieving the best results possible. Through the scientific study of sports, researchers have developed a greater understanding of how the human body reacts to exercise, training, different environments, and many other stimuli. Sports science can trace its origins back to Ancient Greece. The noted ancient Greek physician Galen (131–201) wrote 87 detailed essays about improving health (proper nutrition), aerobic fitness, and strengthening muscles. New ideas upon
1450-482: The first Amateur Sports Act of 1978 decreed that the AAU could no longer hold international franchises for more than one sport. The enactment of the Amateur Sports Act was prompted by lobbying by athletes, particularly runners, who felt that the AAU imposed artificial rules preventing widespread participation in sports. The Athletics Congress (TAC) emerged from the AAU in late 1979, when its first annual meeting
1500-591: The first volume of the American Journal of Physiology . Other articles and reviews subsequently appeared in prestigious journals. The German applied physiology publication, Internationale Zeitschrift fur Physiologie einschliesslich Arbeitphysiologie (1929–1940; now known as the European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology), became a significant journal in the field of research. A number of key figures have made significant contributions to
1550-497: The founding of the new board and the hiring of Siegel as CEO, USATF in 2016 achieved his highest medal count at an Olympics since 1936 (32) and its most-ever medals at a world championships, by winning 30 at the 2017 IAAF World Championships. The organization has seen explosive growth of its budget and sponsor ranks, with the annual budget growing from $ 22M to nearly $ 37M. In 2016, it established an "Athlete Revenue Distribution Model" that provided additional money to elite athletes. At
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1600-425: The grassroots level, elite athletes who represent the US in international competition are also required to be members of USATF. USATF also has 57 Associations to promote the sport locally, and membership in USATF also constitutes membership in a local association, with the dues being divided between the national and local group. During the 1980s and 1990s, USATF encouraged major marathons to require USATF membership as
1650-575: The history, grandeur and significance of sports in American culture . Set to open in New York City on May 7, 2008, the Sports Museum of America will showcase both USA Track & Field and the National Track & Field Hall of Fame in its Hall of Halls Gallery (along with providing an annual donation) in return for sharing some of the hall of fame's valuable artifacts and their support of the creation of
1700-472: The insurance coverage necessary for members to rent facilities, thus allowing for competitive opportunities for all athletes to happen. USA Track and Field has held National conventions since the 1870s or 1880s. NAAA Track and Field Championship and Convention locations Dec 3–6, 2020, virtually; earlier announced the 2020 USATF Annual Meeting to be held virtually instead of face-to-face. On April 22, 1879 National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAA)
1750-462: The lower level. Generally, the associations follow state borders, but in the cases of smaller states, several states are combined into one association, and in the case of larger states, the state is divided into multiple associations in order to more effectively serve clusters of the population base. Most association borders parallel the initial associations created by the AAU, though there has been some adjustment to those defined borders since, including
1800-511: The majority of sports science research from 1983 to 2003 was done in laboratories and nearly half of the research was done with sub-elite or elite athletes. Over two-thirds of the research was done regarding four sports: rowing, cycling, athletics, and swimming. In America, sports play a big part of the American identity, however, sports science has slowly been replaced with exercise science. Sports science can allow athletes to train and compete more effectively at home and abroad. José Mourinho ,
1850-532: The meetings, though voting is carefully controlled by the by-laws, based on the participation of various constituent groups. The National Meeting is the only time political business, rule changes and record ratification can be transacted by most wings of the organization. Many of the more than 130,000 members of USATF participate in athletics competitions through one of the thousands of clubs established in all 50 states. While most of these members participate as athletes, coaches, officials and supporters of athletics at
1900-464: The most votes of all candidates and led to all USATF candidates for IAAF positions being elected. In 2018, after serving on the IAAF Council for four years, Hightower came up for reelection. She was defeated by a vote of the delegates in favor of Willie Banks . In 2016, Vin Lananna was elected president of USATF. On February 18, 2018, Lananna was place on "temporary administrative leave" pending
1950-481: The nominee to the IAAF council. The Board's action caused such a controversy that USATF sent an email two days later to all of its members attempting to explain its action. The email wrote, "This is a different era and a different time. We think Stephanie Hightower provides us with the best chance to move forward as part of that change." Hightower later that summer, at the IAAF Congress, was elected to IAAF Council with
2000-493: The option of running the race virtually (and receiving a discount for the race in 2022), or transferring their entry to 2022 or 2023. The virtual marathon was planned for January 2021. The fast and flat course starts in the downtown area near Minute Maid Park and takes runners past scenic Houston areas and communities—including Houston Heights and Neartown, past Hermann Park and Rice University , over to Uptown , and then through Memorial Park and Allen Parkway , finishing at
2050-662: The organization. Most of the new board members represented sponsoring organizations. On February 18, 2009, the members of the new, reduced Board were announced. The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the TrackTown USA Local Organizing Committee announced the release of the updated competition schedule for the postponed 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track and Field, that took place in June 18–27, 2021, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Since
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2100-456: The rest), but permanent residents can only participate in masters events in the country, and they cannot win USATF medals, prize money, or score points for a team, per World Athletics regulations. USA Track & Field is involved in many aspects of the sport at the local, national, and international level, providing the rules, officials, coaching education, sports science and athlete development, youth programs, masters (age 25+) competition,
2150-507: The second held in North America , after Edmonton , Alberta , Canada in 2001 . The Guardian reported that the lack of bidding triggered concern in European cities that had bid to host the event. They quoted Lamine Diack , IAAF president, who justified the lack of bidding with the claim the selection of Eugene to host the event, "enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity to host
2200-600: The simplistic notions of the early Greek physicians, and shed light upon the complexities of the circulatory, and digestive systems. Furthermore, by the middle of the 19th century, early medical schools (such as the Harvard Medical School , formed 1782) began appearing in the United States, whose graduates went on to assume positions of importance in academia and allied medical research. Medical journal publications increased significantly in number during this period. In 1898, three articles on physical activity appeared in
2250-595: The sport in a particular state or locality. Many of these associations were viewed as unaccountable to their members and some were accused of operating in a racially discriminatory manner. In addition, in some areas, the AAU continues to organize track and field events, including youth running programs. In response, the USATF restructured the Associations and adopted Regulation 15, which set minimum standards for association performance and called for biannual accreditation of each association under those standards. In May 2008,
2300-497: The study of sports science: A notable amount of research in the field of sports science is completed at universities or dedicated research centers. Higher-education degrees in Sports Science or Human Physiology are also becoming increasingly popular, with many universities now offering both undergraduate, postgraduate and distance learning degrees in the discipline. Opportunities for graduates in these fields include employment as
2350-692: The women's Olympic Trials in 1992 and held the USATF women's marathon championship in 1998. The half marathon course hosted the USATF Men's Half Marathon Championship from 2005 to 2008, and also hosted the women's event in 2007 and 2008. The 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials for both men and women were held the Saturday prior to the Sunday races. George W. Bush ran in the Houston Marathon at age 46 in 1993, finishing with
2400-481: The working and functioning of the human body emerged during the Renaissance as anatomists and physicians challenged the previously known theories. These spread with the implementation of the printed word, the result of Gutenberg 's printing press in the 15th century. Allied with this was a large increase in academia in general, universities were forming all around the world. Importantly, these new scholars went beyond
2450-517: Was conducted in Las Vegas , in conjunction with the annual AAU Convention. A constitutional convention was subsequently held in Dallas–Fort Worth in 1980. In 1992, TAC changed its name to USA Track & Field (USATF) to increase recognition for the organization and for the sport in the United States. However, USATF inherited from AAU the 57 regional associations that are responsible for promoting
2500-400: Was formed and later replaced by the AAU x NAAA Track and Field Championship and Convention locations . On January 21, 1888, in the city of New York, rower and runner William B. Curtis and James Edward Sullivan founded what officially became, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) x AAU Convention Locations . The AAU governed the sport of track and field in the United States until 1979 when,
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