Brant Kotch selected for Houston hall of fame

This honor recognizes his commitment and outstanding contributions to the growth and success of the Houston Marathon Weekend of Events over the past 33 years. The induction ceremony will be hosted at The Grove on Thursday, November 20th, 2025.

Kotch, who is Senior Counsel at Crain, Caton & James, P.C., began volunteering on the Houston Marathon course in 1992, joined the Board of Directors in 1996, and became the Course Director in 1997. In 2002, Kotch was named Board President and Race Director.

“No one deserves this honor more than Brant as he has led this organization to unimaginable new heights, turning a one-day race into a hallmark event that now benefits the city of Houston and the local community in so many ways,” stated HMC Executive Director Wade Morehead. “Brant’s passion for long-distance running, this community, and our annual race weekend is unmatched. He truly loves the people of this community and this industry. As a volunteer for over three decades, it is truly remarkable the time and effort he has dedicated to ensure its growth and success.”

During his 29-year tenure on the Board of Directors, his 22 years as Board President and 18 years as Race Director, the HMC hosted 16 U.S. Half Marathon Championships and the historic 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon, the first time both the men’s and women’s races were conducted simultaneously. Under his direction, the number of race weekend participants annually has more than tripled and the HMC is now the only organization in the world to host a World Athletics Gold Label marathon and half marathon at the same time on the same course.

“It was a challenging time to lead our organization as it transitioned from a virtually all-volunteer operation to a thoroughly professional one managed by a full complement of year-round staffers. I always tried to emphasize teamwork, and I always had the utmost confidence in the abilities and overall excellence of our volunteers and staffers,” stated Kotch. “It was a tremendous honor to lead the Houston Marathon Committee for all those years, and that honor is exceeded only by this recognition. In the end, though, it was always a team effort.”

His accomplishments do not just include the increase in participants and astounding professional elite races. Under his leadership, the Run for a Reason Charity program grew substantially and 30 years later this fundraising platform for runners raised nearly 40 million USD for local charities. Other milestones include the addition of the half marathon event in 2002, the inception of the Houston Marathon Foundation in 2007, where he still serves as a member of the HMF Board of Directors, and significant contributions to the redesign of the city-wide courses in both 2002 and 2014. His contributions as a volunteer are unmatched as the event is the largest single-day sporting event in Houston and garners over 50 million USD in economic impact to the city annually.