Space City Racing aims to put as many Houston-area athletes on the starting line of the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials by providing a team environment, support network, and leading edge science-based training.
HOUSTON, TEXAS, October 4, 2018: The SCR Foundation is thrilled to announce the founding of Houston’s newest professional sports team, Space City Racing. Space City Racing aspires to be Houston’s leading science-based performance racing team that will initially focus on distance running before expansion into middle-distance track and other endurance sports such as cycling and triathlons. The organization will focus on developing Houston-area athletes within a team environment, with coaching, and management support in addition to resources necessary to train and compete at a national level.
The governing body for distance running in America, USA Track and Field, will be hosting the Olympic Marathon Trials on February 29th, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia, an event which Houston hosted in 2012. The minimum entry-time standard for the 26.2 mile race is 2 hours 45 minutes for women and 2 hours 19 minutes for men, a time that Space City Racing Team aims for all their athletes to obtain before the January 19th, 2020 cutoff (the day after the Chevron Houston Marathon). The top three finishers from this race will go on to compete for the USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The founders of the team include local elite-athlete and three time Guinness World Record holder, Calum Neff, who ran cross country and track for the University of Houston, Coach Rod, a sports scientist from the University of Houston’s human performance laboratory, and Emma Kosciak, an accomplished Management Professional and endurance sport enthusiast. Together, they have put together an initial team of 12 of Houston’s most promising athletes.
In addition to using science based coaching principles and training in a team environment, Space City Racing believes it takes the support of the local community to create world-class athletes. Team manager Emma Kosciak says “we encourage local running enthusiasts to think of this team as “Your Team”, since these runners are proud to represent Houston and show the country and the world that Houston is a great place to live, work, and train. They are athletes that already engage within the community and other running clubs, and we want it to stay that way”.
Space City Racing, a registered Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) club, will officially launch the new team at their opening competition, the Space City 10 Miler in Clear Lake on October 7th, 2018. Registration for this race is open to the public to compete in either the 10 mile solo, 2 x 5 mile relay, or volunteer. The SCR Foundation encourages the community to come out to meet and support Houston’s newest athletic team.
Sunday will also see the teams first attempt at the Olympic Marathon Trails standard with SCR Athlete Melissa Fairey heading to Chicago to race as part of the American Development Program group. Melissa has been training under Asst. Coach Calum Neff since her first marathon at Houston in January and has been showing all the promising signs to go under the 2:45 mark on Sunday. “I don’t think I have ever been so excited to see someone race” Coach Neff said about Melissa, “Her buildup and workouts were executed flawlessly, a rare occurrence in marathon training especially through very hot and humid conditions the past five months, the Houston conditions will benefit her heading into Chicago and will show why Houston is a great place to have a team like Space City Racing”.
The SCR Foundation is a non-profit organization supporting the Space City Racing team and is currently accepting applications of sponsorship with strong ties and patriotism to Houston and the state of Texas.
Quick Facts and Bio:
Space City Racing based in Houston, Texas and supported by the SCR Foundation.
Website: www.spacecityracing.org
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SpaceCityRacing
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpaceCityRacing
Instagram: www.instagram.com/SpaceCityRacing
