AUSTIN, Texas, September 6, 2016 -- High Five Events, one of the largest privately owned event production companies in the United States, is excited to introduce the Elite Athlete Program for the 2017 Austin Marathon® presented by NXP. The Elite Athlete Program will become known for its competitive nature and focus on discovering emerging marathon talent while helping the existing talent pool reach Olympic standards.

The 2017 Elite Athlete Program will be capped at 20 total marathoners; 10 women and 10 men. The 20 accepted marathoners will compete for a prize purse totaling $10,000. There will be $5000 awarded for the female and male divisions. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until December 31, 2016, or until the entire 20-person field is filled. Interested athletes can contact eliteathletes@highfiveevents.com.

"This will not be a one time thing for our event," said Jack Murray, co-owner of High Five Events. "Over the next three to five years we will escalate the prize purse and partner with sponsors that believe investing in the elite field will benefit the future of distance running and the running community as a whole."

Accepted athletes will be given one comp entry to the 2017 Austin Marathon, a complimentary ride from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to downtown and back to the airport, and the option of a hotel room or home stay for two nights at no cost. Read more about program details, including eligibility standards, here.

FloTrack will assist in the application review and selection process for the Elite Athlete Program, ensuring elite athletes pass the rigorous vetting process. FloTrack will provide live coverage for the race. The live stream feed will be available online to a worldwide audience.

"FloTrack is excited for the Elite Athlete Program and feel it's a perfect fit for the Austin Marathon and this city's deep-rooted running culture," said Ryan Fenton, Senior Manager for FloTrack. "We have worked with High Five Events for many years and we know firsthand how much passion they inject into their events and the importance they place on elite athletes."

About High Five Events: Beginning with the launch of a single triathlon in 2003, High Five Events has grown to become one of the largest privately owned event production companies in the United States. In addition to the events it owns and produces, the Austin, Texas-based company offers consulting and event production services to dozens of additional events each year. High Five Events is community-centric and has more than 83 years' experience organizing large events across different venue types in a variety of locations. Follow High Five Events on Twitter (@highfiveevents), Instagram (@highfiveevents), and Facebook (facebook.com/HighFiveEventsWorldWide/) for news and updates. 

About NXP Semiconductors: NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) enables secure connections and infrastructure for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better, and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the secure connected vehicle, end-to-end security and privacy, and smart connected solutions markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has 45,000 employees in more than 35 countries and posted revenue of $6.1 billion in 2015. Find out more at www.nxp.com.