Chevron Houston Marathon
Top 10 Places to Watch the Chevron Houston Marathon
from chevronhoustonmarathon.com
The Chevron Houston Marathon is much more than a vast herd of lean-limbed athletes who pound Houston’s streets for 26.2 miles every January. While thousands travel to the Bayou City annually to compete in what has become a premier national and international event, the color and excitement of the marathon would not be complete without the hundreds of thousands of cheering spectators who line the course.
For many, the only thing more challenging than actually running the marathon is deciding where to watch it.
After consulting with veteran marathon mavens and observers, here are the 10 best places to watch the race,
along with the approximate times runners are expected to pass these landmarks. Please note that any of the
locations within the first nine miles also provide a view of Aramco Houston Half Marathon participants – as do viewing spots within three miles of the finish. All times are based on a 7:00 a.m. start time for both the full and half marathons.
Here are our top 10 places to watch the Chevron Houston Marathon.
1. Start/Finish Line
The George R. Brown Convention Center is the hub of race day excitement both before the starting gun and
after the winners break the finish line tape. From this vantage point, the true “thrill of victory and agony of defeat”
can be seen up close and personal as runners start and complete the grueling 26.2-mile course.
Finish - Front Runners: 9:10 a.m. / The Pack: 10:30 a.m.
2. Refueling Stations
Located at every mile and a half along the course, these areas are crowd favorites to watch runners jockey for
the best position to intercept a smooth water hand-off. The brave volunteers who dash onto the course to hand
a thirsty runner a refreshing drink add lots of color and drama to the event. The refueling stations are also a
popular scene for many of the marathon’s “Hoopla” happenings.
3. Mile 2: The Elysian Viaduct
Most of the runners are still tightly bunched, offering great visuals for camera buffs as a sea of humanity surges
forward in seemingly endless waves from the start lines.
Front Runners: 7:10 a.m. / The Pack: 7:15 a.m.
4. Miles 3-4: White Oak Drive
While winding through one of Houston’s oldest historic neighborhoods, runners will travel between beautiful
homes on one side and White Oak Bayou and Stude Park on the other. Spectators can pitch a lawn chair in
Stude Park to cheer on the runners in this beautiful setting.
Front Runners: 7:15 a.m. / The Pack: 7:25 a.m.
---more---Where to Watch 2013
5. Mile 10: Main Street
The line of magnificent old oaks arching over Main Street, the picture-postcard beauty of the Rice University
campus and the elegance of the Museum District is a superb setting for race watching. With Memorial Hermann
Park nearby, there is plenty of parking, or use the METRORail from downtown to get to Main Street.
Front Runners: 7:50 a.m. / The Pack: 8:20 a.m.
6. Mile 12: University Boulevard and the City of West University Place
In an area filled with upscale homes and some of Houston’s trendiest shops, “West U” residents turn out in large
numbers to cheer on the runners. The entire community takes on a festive air with many holding block parties
and other marathon-related social events.
Front Runners: 8:00 a.m. / The Pack: 8:35 a.m.
7. Mile 13: University and Weslayan
As one of the key milestones that marathon runners reach on their way to the finish line, the halfway point is a
great place to see how runners are holding up to the challenge of 26.2 miles.
Front Runners: 8:05 a.m. / The Pack: 8:45 a.m.
8. Mile 16: Post Oak and San Felipe
This venue offers race spectators varied viewing posts close to the Galleria’s many shops and restaurants. Post Oak’s wide sidewalks and numerous street-level parking areas are great places to pitch a lawn chair, park your favorite cooler and cheer on the runners.
Front Runners: 8:30 a.m. / The Pack: 9:30 a.m.
9. Mile 17: Tanglewood Boulevard
Leaving the Galleria area, runners will head down what may be the prettiest mile of the course – Tanglewood
Boulevard. Runners will be greeted with banners, flags and hundreds of cheering residents.
Front Runners: 8:25 a.m. / The Pack: 9:25 a.m.
10. Miles 20-21: Memorial Park
Memorial Park’s miles of beautiful jogging trails attract thousands of Houstonians daily. The Memorial Park area
also is the site of every marathoner’s nemesis — the infamous “wall.” An invisible barrier at the 20-mile mark,
the “wall” drains many runners’ physical, emotional and psychological will. Once through the “wall,” the
marathon becomes a 6.2-mile race to the finish.
Front Runners: 8:40 a.m. / The Pack: 9:50 a.m
Where to Stay
Embassy Suites Houston Near the Galleria
2911 Sage Road
Houston Texas
In the heart of the Galleria Houston area, Embassy Suites Houston Near the Galleria provides a great vantage point to see all the runners compete in the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon.
All guests enjoy:
- Free Cooked to Order Breakfast
- Evening Reception with complimentary drinks and snacks
- Two Room Suite
- Fitness Center
- Indoor Pool
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