I just spoke to friends who were in the top 3 this year. The fake giant checks they gave to race winners at the awards ceremony had the same amounts listed on the website. So anyone saying that those who earned money should give some back consider this. The prize money on the race website can easily be interpreted that the money amounts listed go to male and female, not split between the two genders. The giant checks had the amounts listed on the website. And the actual checks they mailed out also had the amount on the website. So you're saying the race messed up all of those things. I think its clear one of two things happened. There was a miscommunication between people within the organization and someone, likely the race director, thought the amounts listed on the website were the amounts to be given out and the mistake was not caught until checks were already mailed. Or far more likely they did not bring in the money they expected or got greedy and saw this as a way of recouping some of their money.
Either way the athletes should not give anything back. Even if it was a mistake runners worked this into their racing schedule and traveled to the race because of the prize money. I think the fact that the race threatened to sue is pathetic.