Austin Marathon And Half Marathon Add Elite Field And $40,000+ Of Elite Athlete Support
Austin Marathon Press Release
October 2, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas – The Austin Marathon and Half Marathon® Presented by Freescale has reintroduced an elite field and added $40,000 in prize money, bonuses, and elite athlete supports to its 2014 event, to be held February 16 in Texas’s capital city. Distance aces from around the country will compete for separate prize purses in both the marathon and the half marathon races in the 23rd annual edition of the event.
“The Austin Marathon and Half Marathon has had a long tradition of supporting elite
athletes in their quest for national and world class performances,” says Race Director
John Conley. “After a few years away from the elite athlete side of the sport, I’m very
happy to buck the industry trend and re-introduce a prize purse to our event, and I look
forward to seeing some fast, competitive finishes from elites both emerging and
established at the front of our field in 2014.”
In addition to their race day pavement-pounding duties, athletes in the invited elite field
will appear in schools and at the Expo in the days leading up to the race. “We believe
that elite endurance sports athletes are role models for a healthy lifestyle,” said Conley,
“and we plan for them to share their stories with the entire community. Running or
walking at any speed is a wonderful way to stay healthy and fit throughout life, and elite
athletes are great ambassadors for this message.”
Men and women will compete for three-deep prize money in both the marathon and the
half marathon, including a $3,000 first-place prize for the marathon winners. Additionally, any athlete breaking the existing course records of 2:14:02 for the men and 2:36:26 for the women will receive a $5,000 course record bonus. If the records go un-broken, this bonus will roll over to 2015, making the course record bonuses $10,000 in that year.
The Austin Marathon and Half Marathon will announce its elite fields as athletes are
confirmed this fall. All elite athletes are subject to drug testing. For more information on
the prize purse breakdown for the 2014 races, view the Austin Marathon and Half
Marathon “Elite Info” page at www.youraustinmarathon.com/elites.