So my local running store offers more prize money for longer distances than shorter. Big surprise, I'm sure they appreciate people running higher volume and going through several pairs of shoes a season. The prize pot usually goes something like this:
Marathon/half-marathon/10k: $250-500
5k: $0-75
Why all the hype on the marathon and Ironman, I ask? Do people who are working full-time (who have families, or who volunteer their time) have time to train and be competitive in the longer distances? Or would we all be better off if the focus in the American road racing scene shifted to 5k/10k?