STAR-BULLETIN / 2005
Runners jammed Ala Moana Boulevard during the predawn start of the 33rd annual Honolulu Marathon in December.
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First-place prize for Honolulu Marathon increases to $40,000
Race sponsors add to the purse, more than doubling some prize money
Prize money for winning the Honolulu Marathon will more than double this year to $40,000 from $15,000 last year.
The increase makes the prize one of the largest in the country for winning a marathon, said Honolulu Marathon President Jim Barahal.
"And we should be because we're the third-largest (marathon) in the United States," he said.
Only the Chicago and New York City marathons have more participants.
Barahal said the added prize money is coming from race sponsors and not from increasing entry fees. The total purse climbs to $150,000 from $65,000 with top finishers getting double what the awards were last year.
The second-place men's and women's finishers will receive $16,000; $10,000 for third; $6,000 for fourth; and $3,000 for fifth.
The higher winners' prize will alleviate past situations in which runners who are paid appearance fees received more money than the winners, Barahal said.
Despite the increase, Barahal does not believe it will be enough to attract more elite runners coming to Honolulu, but rather will allow him to maintain the size of the elite field already coming to the islands.
Kenyans have won the men's division 16 times since 1985 and women from the former Soviet Union have won here nine of the last 10 years.
The Boston, Chicago and New York City marathons pay their men's and women's winners upward of $100,000 and their total purses are 10 times that of Honolulu.
This year's Honolulu Marathon is scheduled to start at 5 a.m. Dec. 10. Registration is $60 for Hawaii residents and $95 for everyone else until Oct. 27. After that, the entry fee goes up for everyone to $105 until Nov. 10. Then it goes up to $125.
There were 24,643 starters in last year's race.