Team of CITGO Athletes to Compete in the 121st Running of the Boston Marathon

HOUSTON, March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When the 121^st running of the Boston Marathon begins on April 17, 25 CITGO Petroleum Corporation representatives and employees will be ready to run. As part of its recently announced Official Fuel Sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, these athletes are entering as part of the CITGO team – many of them employees at CITGO corporate headquarters in Houston and at the three CITGO refineries in Corpus Christi, Texas, Lake Charles, Louisiana and Lemont, Illinois – in the world-famous race.

"Since 1965, the famous CITGO sign in Kenmore Square has been a presence on the Boston Marathon route. As Official Fuel Sponsor of the Boston Marathon, CITGO will not only overlook the route this year, but we'll be an actual part of the race thanks to our team of CITGO athletes," said CITGO Vice President of Supply and Marketing Rick Esser. "The entire CITGO family will be cheering on these competitors as they take on this legendary race."

Among the participants on the CITGO team entered in the Boston Marathon is Terry Sullivan, an 18-year employee at the CITGO corporate headquarters currently serving as the Northeast Region Light Oils Manager. Terry is a great example of not only the athleticism it takes to run in the Boston Marathon, but also the commitment that CITGO employees have to making life better for their communities. As a former Boston resident and graduate of Northeastern University, Terry has a strong connection to the Boston area. He is also a Boston Marathon veteran, having run the race in both 1981 and 2001. This year will mark his second time participating as a CITGO employee and his 68^th marathon to date.

Joining Terry at the starting line will be Mike Bauer, a journeyman in instrumentation at the CITGO Lemont Refinery. Mike has been a part of the CITGO family for more than four decades. Inspired by his daughter's experience with track and cross country, he began running 15 years ago, and he is now part of the CITGO run team, a group that represents CITGO in 5K races that give proceeds to charities. He has been training for the Boston Marathon with fellow CITGO employee and marathon participant Sandy Dimmick. As a CITGO veteran, Mike is honored to be running in the Boston Marathon and is looking forward to an unforgettable experience in the prestigious race.

CITGO employees competing in this year's Boston Marathon include Avery Goldsmith, Corpus Christi; Benjamin Kelly, Lake Charles; Brian Tetreau, Houston; Carlos Acosta, Aruba; Christopher Mittal, Corpus Christi; David Spann, Lake Charles; Eladio Perez, Houston; Jerry Santos, Houston; Jesus Gonzalez, Houston; Jorge Toledo, Houston; Mario Ramirez, Corpus Christi; Mario Morales, Lemont; Michael Fink, Lemont; Mike Bauer, Lemont; Richard White, Lake Charles; Sandy Dimmick, Lemont; Sarah Wrobel, Lake Charles; Shannon Wang, Houston; Sterling Neblett, Houston; Terry Sullivan, Houston; Trina Martinez, Corpus Christi; and Zoraida Guillo, Houston.

CITGO directly employs more than 6,000 employees and full-time contractors. Employee participation at this year's Boston Marathon is an example of the company's quality of life programs for its workforce. Every year, CITGO employees participate in several charitable sporting events across the company's operational areas, including marathons and long-distance cycling events.

Adding excitement to employee participation in the Boston Marathon is the company's historic relationship with the Boston community. CITGO has been a part of Kenmore Square since 1940, when Cities Service opened its divisional headquarters in Boston. In 1965, Cities Service introduced its CITGO brand, replacing the white and green Cities Service logo atop its offices on 660 Beacon Street with the now-iconic CITGO sign, which stands one mile away from the Boston Marathon finish line.

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation