Grandma’s Champs Seek Bonus at Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon

 $10,000 Offered for Minnesota Marathon Victory Double

Courtesy of Race Organizers
September 11, 2012

A prize purse of $113,000 is on offer for professional athletes competing in the 31^st running of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 7, but for Ethiopia’s Berhanu Girma and Kenya’s Everlyne Lagat, an additional $5,000 is available for each, if they can match their victories at June’s Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth with wins at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.

The bonus, offered by Grandma’s Marathon-Duluth, Inc. and Twin Cities In Motion, organizer of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, recognizes the unique achievement of winning both of Minnesota’s signature marathons in a single year. In the last three decades, only Andrew Musuva, in 1999, has won same-year men’s titles at Grandma’s and Twin Cities.  Last year, Buzunesh Deba became the first woman to win same-year titles at the events.  Grandma’s Marathon was established in 1977; the Twin Cities Marathon originated in 1982.

To collect the bonus, Girma and Lagat will not only need to conquer the 26.2 mile marathon distance but also defeat a strong field of international and domestic contenders lining up for the race.  Girma competed in last year’s Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, finishing in 13^th-place with a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 45 seconds.  Lagat, who had finished in 2^nd and 3^rd-place in her previous Grandma’s Marathons, has never raced at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.

The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon pays its open champions $15,000 and offers an additional $25,000 each if they break the event’s course records.  The men’s record stands at 2:10:05 set by American Phil Coppess in 1985.  The women’s record of 2:26:51 is shared by Russians Zinaida Semenova and Irina Permitina.  Semenova was the 2001 women’s champion; Permitina was the 2004 winner.

About Twin Cities In Motion (TCM):  Twin Cities In Motion (formerly Twin Cities Marathon, Inc.) is the non-profit organization that provides nationally recognized, high quality running events throughout the year, including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. With a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through running, TCM and its charity partners contribute over $500,000 to related causes each year. For more information, visit www.tcmevents.org, www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesInMotion, and follow us on Twitter @tcmarathon.

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