Posted: September 27, 2007

Athletics (RWire): Chevron Houston Marathon Event Prize Purse Tops $170,000 for 2008 Races

Marathon offers $10,000 bonus for course record; USA Half-Marathon Championship host again HOUSTON - (September 25, 2007) - The fastest men and women running the Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon on Sunday, January 13, 2008, could take home more than $170,000 in prize money for crossing the finish line ahead of the pack. The man and woman to break the tape in the marathon will pocket $25,000 each, and they can add another $10,000 to that by setting a course record. For men, that means a sub-2:10:04, the record set by Richard Kaitany in 1989; women must come in under 2:26:52, the record set by Dire Tune in 2007. Winners in the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, again host of the USA Half-Marathon Championships, will take home $12,000 each for leading the 13.1-mile event. Men can earn an extra $4000 by breaking the course (and U.S.) record of 59:43 set by Ryan Hall in 2007. Women must run under 1:10:55, the record set by Colleen De Reuck in 2004, to earn the bonus. A U.S. record (59:43 for men, 1:07:34 for women) nets each another $5000. "If you're fast and looking to make your mark, Houston is the place to be," says Race Director Brant Kotch. "We have just what a runner needs to set a record. Ryan Hall and Dire Tune proved that in January. Our course is almost pancake flat and the weather is usually ideal for racing. A generous prize purse and bonus money make the Houston marathon and half marathon a runner's dream." The $170,000 prize and bonus purse pays out more than $100,000 to top runners in the marathon and over $60,000 to the fastest half-marathoners. In the marathon, prize money will be awarded to the top five finishers: 1st = $25,000 2nd = $12,000 3rd = $7000 4th = $4000 5th = $2000 The bonus for runners coming in under the time standards are: Men's Time Bonuses / Women's Time Bonuses Sub 2:13 = $2000 Sub 2:30 = $2000 Sub 2:12 = $3000 Sub 2:29 = $3000 Sub 2:11 = $5000 Sub 2:28 = $5000 Race Record = $10,000 Race Record = $10,000 In addition to the $10,000 offered to the first runner to beat the course record, the next two runners under the course record each earn a $3000 bonus. The top three male and female Masters winners in the marathon pick up $1500, $1000 and $500, while the male and female wheelchair winners take home $500 each. In the half-marathon, the top 10 men and women take home prize money: 1st = $12,000 2nd = $6500 3rd = $4000 4th = $2000 5th = $1500 6th = $1250 7th = $1000 8th = $750 9th = $500 10th = $250 The top three Masters men and women in the half-marathon will pocket $750, $500 and $250, and the top wheelers in the half earn $300. Prize money also is paid to the top three local men and women and top local male and female Masters runners in both races. Participation in the professional division of the 2008 Chevron Houston Marathon is by invitation only. The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and more than 30 countries. The race will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2007. The marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event. More information is available online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or call (713) 957-3453. Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director (805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016 Ryan@RunningUSA.org www.RunningUSA.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest