The Houston Marathon Committee announced today that the Chevron Houston Marathon's Run for a Reason charity program surpassed the $11-million mark since its inception in 1995. In a mere two months since fundraising began on July 27, more than $650,000 has been raised for the 52 official charities.

This most recent milestone follows a record-breaking 2010 event which generated $1.8 million for 46 charities.

"Since January of 2008, our event has helped local charities raise more than $4.8 million," said Wade Morehead, executive director of the Houston Marathon Committee. "The rapid growth of this program during a difficult economic climate can be directly attributed to the passionate runners in this community and their philanthropic spirit."

Linking runners with participating nonprofits, the Run for a Reason program provides an avenue for race participants, individuals and organizations to collect donations on behalf of an official charity. In addition, the program offers a platform for charities to raise awareness and educate others about their cause.

As the success of the Run for a Reason program continues to grow, so has interest from the nonprofit sector as charities are learning more about the program's benefits. The Houston Marathon Committee received more than 120 applications to become an official 2011 charity and more than 85 requests for the 2012 program since June.

The 39^th annual Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and El Paso Corporation 5K will take place January 30, 2011.

To learn more about the Run for a Reason charity program and its participating 52 charities, visitRunforaReasonHouston.org.