$313,500 out of $1 million for an event hardly anyone does and an event that you can do every weekend when the pro marathoners can only do 2 or 3 a year? They really don't care about the pro runners do they?
BAA wrote:
The Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will now feature a cumulative prize fund of more than $1 million.
Wheelchair champions [T53/54/34] at the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will now receive a first-place prize of $40,000 (increased from $25,000), and places 2-10 will also receive increases in awards compared to recent years. Wheelchair athletes with T51-T52 classifications will receive awards for places 1-3.
The total wheelchair prize for 2024 will be $313,500 for men and women (previously $125,000).
This includes $50,000 each for a course record (equal to the Open course record award) The top three finishers in all seven Para Athletics Divisions at the Marathon will receive prize money of $2,500; $1,500; $1,000, respectively.
I live in a town where running is quite popular. If every Boston marathon winner (men's and women's) for the last 10 years walked through the busy downtown streets here, not 1 person in a thousand would know who any of them are.
The TV rating for the race are miniscule. It is momentarily interesting to see runners fly by at speeds that the average person couldn't run for 50 feet. And of course, no one pays to watch. Frankly, marathon running is boring to watch. The money will never be significant.
Money from running will never be significant compares to high profile sports. But Boston has something like 20,000 people paying an entry fee of at least $205 and a bunch of sponsors paying the BAA to have their names listed as "official sponsors." They could pay their winners and top placers a lot more than they do and they could have prize money go a lot deeper than it does. Not doing so is their prerogative and what they do in terms of prize money is mostly in line with what other major marathons do. And none of us really know what they do about appearance money so maybe they aren't as miserly as they look to me.
I agree that you could have BAA winners from the past ten years walk through the downtown of a city with a large running population and go unrecognized today. But if you did that forty or so years ago, when the winners were people like Rodgers and Meyers there'd have been some recognition.
Someone with knowledge about these matters could help us. How much does the head of the BAA get paid? I remember it was a bit shocking when the salary of the NYRR president was revealed to be nearly 1/2 million a year. Those entry fees are paying salaries. When I see the paltry amount of money going to elite runners at Bolder Boulder, I wonder why they even show up.
If I'm not the recipient of any of these funds I do not care how it's distributed. If I were to be a recipient of any of these funds, and I don't like the distribution, I have the option to go play hopscotch somewhere else. If I don't like any of the rules (typically known before registration) I have to option to participate or not.
I do not run Boston unless I qualify - and I always qualify. The BAA generally sets a cap of 30,000 runners, with 80% of that reserved for qualifiers. I'm happy to be within that group; and to me, that's the only group that really concerns me. If the BAA changes the rules for that qualifying group I have to option to play or not play.
Confucius say: Don't get your panties all in a wad over something that you can't control or that doesn't impact you.
The dirty little secret is that, at the NYC Marathon, the “Elites” run in front of the fewest number of people. The big crowds don’t show up until the 4-5 hour runners come through. Most of the crowd is there to see friends and family.
No, this is common knowledge
The pros don’t seem to know this. Whenever I hear one on Podcast they always go on about the crowds. I live near 1st Ave and see it every year. When the 2:10-2:20s come by there’s hardly anybody there.
The overall prize fund increases by $121,000 in 2023 to a round million in 2024. Some of that increase, naturally, is partitioned to the para division.
I am curious why you think it's such a bad thing for wheelchair athletes to win significant prize money?
They can pay the wheeled competitors whatever they want but the open categories are much more competitive.
It appears that the prize pool in the open categories hasn't increased since at least 2018. Perhaps offset by more getting appearance money?
Next year will be the US Olympic trials 10 weeks before Boston. It will be interesting to see how many American elites will be showing up ready to race.
Both of these posts make a ton of sense. Dk why this is even a thing. It's good Boston is investing in para athletes. But I doubt they get big appearance fees. Invited open runners are doing well there & then get prize money on top of that.
Don't get me wrong, I think Boston should pay down to 25 or 30 deep & increase open prize money but this isn't an either/or. It's not part of some *insert partisan word or phrase* agenda. Good to see these athletes being recognized. Raising up standards there isn't why prize purses are disappearing at some major road races or not being brought up at others.
$313,500 out of $1 million for an event hardly anyone does and an event that you can do every weekend when the pro marathoners can only do 2 or 3 a year? They really don't care about the pro runners do they?
BAA wrote:
The Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will now feature a cumulative prize fund of more than $1 million.
Wheelchair champions [T53/54/34] at the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America will now receive a first-place prize of $40,000 (increased from $25,000), and places 2-10 will also receive increases in awards compared to recent years. Wheelchair athletes with T51-T52 classifications will receive awards for places 1-3.
The total wheelchair prize for 2024 will be $313,500 for men and women (previously $125,000).
This includes $50,000 each for a course record (equal to the Open course record award) The top three finishers in all seven Para Athletics Divisions at the Marathon will receive prize money of $2,500; $1,500; $1,000, respectively.
I don’t get it; anyone can enter the wheelchair division if they would like. Very few people on this planet can win either division. Why is this an issue?
The overall prize fund increases by $121,000 in 2023 to a round million in 2024. Some of that increase, naturally, is partitioned to the para division.
I am curious why you think it's such a bad thing for wheelchair athletes to win significant prize money?
They can pay the wheeled competitors whatever they want but the open categories are much more competitive.
It appears that the prize pool in the open categories hasn't increased since at least 2018. Perhaps offset by more getting appearance money?
Next year will be the US Olympic trials 10 weeks before Boston. It will be interesting to see how many American elites will be showing up ready to race.
In that case, only Mantz will show up for the Americans, which is a credit to Mantz and a diss to those who only race 1-2 times per year.
I live in a town where running is quite popular. If every Boston marathon winner (men's and women's) for the last 10 years walked through the busy downtown streets here, not 1 person in a thousand would know who any of them are.
The TV rating for the race are miniscule. It is momentarily interesting to see runners fly by at speeds that the average person couldn't run for 50 feet. And of course, no one pays to watch. Frankly, marathon running is boring to watch. The money will never be significant.
Money from running will never be significant compares to high profile sports. But Boston has something like 20,000 people paying an entry fee of at least $205 and a bunch of sponsors paying the BAA to have their names listed as "official sponsors." They could pay their winners and top placers a lot more than they do and they could have prize money go a lot deeper than it does. Not doing so is their prerogative and what they do in terms of prize money is mostly in line with what other major marathons do. And none of us really know what they do about appearance money so maybe they aren't as miserly as they look to me.
I agree that you could have BAA winners from the past ten years walk through the downtown of a city with a large running population and go unrecognized today. But if you did that forty or so years ago, when the winners were people like Rodgers and Meyers there'd have been some recognition.
Besides that like this link https://casinosanalyzer.com/bonuses-by-countries/lithuania-ltu which gives a lot of information about bonuses for games, I actually think this would be something brilliant for those sportsmen, because now it is becoming more and more popular to play computer games.
I'd like to offer a different perspective. While it's true that marathon running may not be as widely recognized as some other sports, it still has its own dedicated and passionate fan base. The Boston Marathon, in particular, holds a special place in the hearts of many runners and spectators. It's one of the oldest and most prestigious marathons in the world, with a rich history dating back to 1897. People participate in and watch the Boston Marathon not just for the fame or money but for the sense of accomplishment, the challenge, and the tradition.
Wheelchair transportation is covered by the BAA part of the elite athlete package. And that same Wheelchair athlete can compete in Boston and then compete 6 days later in London. And if Tokyo has a good wheelchair program, they can also race in that one as well.
Able bodied competitors can only run 2 possibly 3 marathons in a full year.
I am all for supporting the wheelchair program and I like this move. But, the able bodied program could use some more prize money funding too. $150k is a joke. As is $100k or 125K in the other WMM races.
I've had the opportunity to compete at some adaptive athlete track meets this year (I'm a classified para-athlete myself, but I'm ambulatory). So, I've seen the whole range of wheelchair racers, from kids just learning to the pros.
You know how you don't really appreciate just how fast world class marathoners are unless you understand running or observe recreational runners? Well, it's similar for wheelchair athletes. When you watch the lower level and amateur wheelchair athletes compete, you see how demanding the sport is in both fitness and technique.
To get a racing wheelchair to move (and keep moving), requires continual explosive work from the arms and shoulders. It's a lot of work to move a wheelchair, and even more to move it quickly. Elite wheelchair racers have absolutely ripped upper bodies that echo those of world class swimmers.
They also have incredible cores. Racing wheelchairs are weighted heavily towards the rear - that's why you never see someone in a racing wheelchair sit upright - they'll go over backward. So, every time a wheelchair racer takes a stroke, they're using their abdominals to brace against the power of their arms. Newer wheelchair racers struggle with this - when they try to push really hard and explosively, their torsos lift up and the front wheel of their chair starts to rise off of the ground (and then everyone at the meet yells at the kid to LEAN FORWARD).
So, moving a wheelchair over 26 miles as fast as these guys do is a really impressive physical feat. Then add onto this the fact that they are moving that fast with their faces close to the pavement (which has to be terrifying until you get used to it) and the complexities of navigating a course, avoiding potholes, etc..
It is an extremely demanding sport, and the athletes who are at the top are amazing. Yes, they recover from races more quickly than ambulatory runners, but so do cyclists and swimmers. The quick recovery is not evidence that the sport is not demanding; rather it's a result of their sport being non-impact.
You may not enjoy watching them race, but they are indeed incredible athletes who work extremely hard to be where they are.
you guys are bitter that you're not wheelchair bound? weird post. who cares, let the wheelies win prize money. If you're able bodied, you have other advantages in life.
This post was edited 37 seconds after it was posted.