Slowest You Have Seen Win Money

I suck wrote:

Went to a small town for a 5k and ran a 20:41 to win first overall and get a 50 dollar certificate for a running store. And yes I'm a guy. I used it for a pair of brooks running tights

A local town was holding a 5k for the first time, scrapped it together and handed out flyers to about three local XC coaches in the area hoping to get people to show. All the coaches said no considering it was in the middle of racing season. I had a teammate toe the line anyway and won with 20:55. Beat 27 people for a $100 prize. Race was canceled the next year.

I jumped into my only marathon the night before and ran a 2:44 winning around $600-700 for second place.

I won 200 bucks running 1:17:34 in a half and won by about five minutes. Not super slow, but I definitely didn't expect to win, especially by a wide margin.

First overall 17:42 local 5k got me a Benjamin last fall. I outkicked a kid half my age to win so I took that hundred bucks and got the wife and me a killer dinner.

WhitePony wrote:

I have recently heard about a road race that will offer some prize money that will be located in the middle of no where. I am in decent shape but it a Kenyan shows up I don't stand a chance. What are some of the slowest times you have seen win money in local road races?

Rather than add more slow times to the growing list, I'll just say that you can win money running fast or slow. The trick is finding the race that just started offering money but hasn't publicized well. The best is finding a race where you actually have to call or e-mail the race director to get the details on prize money. Most people won't bother to do that and most likely won't risk forking out the entry fee to find out either. Only locals will know the specifics IF the race has been around at least a few years.

Looking up past results can help, but it may be misleading if the race didn't offer prize money the previous year.

Location can help since travel costs could overcome the potential winnings, but don't bank on it if there's a couple grand on the line (probably not likely for a small town race, but you never know).

Do some homework on the race, get in touch with people who might know it better than you, and good luck bringing home the money! Hope you get it.

This year at a local race, inaugural event, at a small town pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

5k winner got $100 at 20:17.

10k winner got $100 at 45:33.

Ran a 5K race on November 6.

The course map showed us going all over the place…around a muddy soccer field, sidewalks, parking lots, 180 turn-around, many hills. Seven (including me) lined up at the start. I took the lead at the start and within a ¼ mile the 2nd place guy was yelling “wrong way”. I turned around, passed him, only to have it happen twice more (all with the 1st mile). Brought to a walk twice in order to figure out where to go. I decided to draft the guy, plus another joined us for the next mile. At that point, it was “mostly” clear what remained, made a gap and won the race in 21:50! Got an envelope with $100 for winning the race.

Are you a Masters Woman? Silicon Valley Turkey Trot Elite 5K 1st place masteers woman ran 19:17 and won $350.

If you happen to be an open male, well, don't run that race as 14:03 was only good for 10th place.

I once took home $100 for a 17:15 5K (I'm a guy, that was third place). I didn't even know the race had prize money; I suspect most people didn't know. The guy who won ran about 17:05 but is good for a 14:30 or so when actually racing. The guy who beat me out of another $50 was 50+ years old and worked hard for it. The 4th placer was well over 18 minutes, i.e., I could have run it in about 18:10 and still won $100.

I road whored pretty heavily for a period of a year or two.

Best advice I can give: Look for new races.

Even a five year-old 5k putting up $250 for first will usually draw something under 16 minutes. And maybe under 15.

It also depends on where you are. I did most of my running in New England and regularly had to contend with B-Grade Kenyans, Providence grads, and the pretty hard core track clubs. If I wanted $500, I had to go 15ish or faster, 31ish or faster and 52-53 minutes for 10 miles or faster.

But definitely stay away from the big, established races. These almost always put out decent cash, and they *will* attract talent. Also, look for $$$ races within a week - ideally a few days - of other big events. That way you clear out a lot of the guys who would normally come for the cash, because they've already raced. Or, at the very least, they do end up racing you, but they race less than 100 percent.

I won money in three separate 5ks over the course of four days and didn't have to break 16 minutes once. I did, however, do a decent amount of traveling.

Good luck.

$450 for a 16:34... that was this summer in ny.

I won a one-year membership to Bally Total Fitness, which I later sold on eBay for $800, for winning a 5k in about 18:30.

I had a huge lead and was on 15:00 pace for the first half, but took a wrong turn at an unmarked fork in the road. I still managed to backtrack, get back on course and pass all the guys who had jumped ahead of me. Biggest payday for my slowest 5k.

Appreciate the tips.

My coach was the half marathon winner in 2010. He won the full marathon in 2009 but decided to do the half because the prize money was the same and it was super easy to win.

I once won 100 bucks for an 18:20 5K in a race where I had no idea that masters runners got anything..

They wouldn't let me give it back....

I did a race one with $100 age group prize... and a small race with mostly walkers, too. Thus, there were plenty of hobby-jogger-esque winners, but then again if they won money are they really hobbyjoggers anymore?

my coach wrote:

My coach was the half marathon winner in 2010. He won the full marathon in 2009 but decided to do the half because the prize money was the same and it was super easy to win.

You have a great coach. Hopefully you take advantage of the opportunity and learn as much as you can from him. Not all high schoolers are as fortunate (assuming you are in high school).

Just a slight correction though - prize money slightly different: in 2010 the Marathon paid $1500, $1000, $500 whereas the Half paid $1000, $500, $250.

marathoner223 wrote:

1:08:18 got $200, for 5th, at a half marathon I was at

1:08 is hardly slow man. I think they mean 38 min 10K types here.

17:59 won 50 bucks

it was a high schooler too lol