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HOUSTON - (September 7, 2006) - Crossing the finish line first in the 2007 Chevron Houston Marathon just got a whole lot more lucrative.
In a continuing effort to attract more of the world's elite marathoners to Houston, the Chevron Houston Marathon has increased its prize purse for the 2007 race to $100,000. Winners of the men's and women's races will take home half of that total, with $25,000 going to each winner. Prize money also will be given to the next four finishers, with $12,000, $7000, $4000 and $2000 being award, respectively.
As an added incentive, the marathon has established an enhanced bonus structure that will reward runners for the quality of their performances. A non-cumulative bonus pool has been established for athletes running times under 2 hours, 13 minutes for men and sub 2 hours, 31 minutes for women. Additionally, a course record award is part of the bonus prize money pool, which appears below.
Men's Time Bonuses
Sub 2:13 - $2000
Sub 2:12 - $3000
Sub 2:11 - $5000
Race Record - $10,000
Women's Time Bonuses
Sub 2:31 - $2000
Sub 2:30 - $3000
Sub 2:29 - $5000
Race Record - $10,000
In addition to the $10,000 being offered to the first runner under the course record (men's 2:10:04; women's 2:27:51), the next two runners under the existing course standard will each win a $3000 bonus.
"Prize money for the 2007 Chevron Houston Marathon is nearly double the amount we offered at the 2006 race," said Race Director Brant Kotch. "This is a significant commitment to supporting world-class running in Houston, and we expect the increased prize purse to attract strong men's and women's fields to the event."
Runners in the accompanying 2007 USA Half Marathon Championships, being held in conjunction with the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, will vie for a prize purse of $62,500. The prize structure will offer a $12,000 first-place award and provide winnings to the top 10 finishers in each race.
2007 USA Half Marathon Championships
Prize / Bonus Money
MEN / WOMEN
First - $12,000
Second - $6500
Third - $4000
Fourth - $2000
Fifth - $1500
Sixth - $1250
Seventh - $1000
Eighth - $750
Ninth - $500
Tenth - $250
MASTERS - Men / Women
First - $750
Second - $500
Third - $250
The race also is offering a cumulative bonus structure for breaking existing race and U.S. records.
Bonus Pool
Race Record - Men 1:02:07 (2006) - Women 1:10:55 (2004) - Bonus $4000
U.S. Record - Men 1:00:55 (1985) - Women 1:07:34 (2006) - Bonus $5000
Nearly 20,000 runners are expected to participate in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and Houston Press/Smart Financial Credit Union 5K, all scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 14, 2007.
Early registration discounts are still available, with entry fees of $75 for the marathon, $50 for the half-marathon and $20 for the 5K. Runners can register online for the trio of weekend races at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com.
The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and several foreign countries. In 2006, nearly 20,000 runners took part in four marathon weekend events (marathon, half-marathon, 5K run and children's run). The Chevron Houston Marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event.
More information is available online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or (713) 957-3453.
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