BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today (Feb. 6, 2014) a new prize money structure for B.A.A. Distance Medley events, which will award nearly $150,000 in prize money each year, a 55% increase over the guaranteed total prize purse in 2013 for those three events. The purse for each race has been increased. In addition, bonus incentives have been established both for professional runners recording multiple top finishes at B.A.A. events in 2014 and for event record times set at B.A.A. Distance Medley events. Prize money awards and bonus incentives are equal for men and women.

The B.A.A. Distance Medley is a three-race series which combines the B.A.A. 5K on April 19, the B.A.A. 10K on June 22, and the B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, on October 12. Professional runners are eligible for bonus incentives for multiple top finishes in the same calendar year at the B.A.A. 5K, B.A.A. 10K, B.A.A. Half Marathon, and Boston Marathon^®, beginning with the 2014 B.A.A. 5K, two days prior to the Boston Marathon. For example, a runner who wins three of those four events in 2014 will be awarded $50,000. Only the single highest bonus will be awarded to a runner.   The full prize money and bonus structures are listed below.

 

Boston Marathon principal sponsor John Hancock Financial Services provided the first-ever prize purse in 1986 and will continue to provide prize money and bonus incentives for the Boston Marathon. The prize purse for the 2014 Boston Marathon is $806,000. Through John Hancock’s sponsorship, the B.A.A. has awarded nearly $17 million in prize money and bonuses at the Boston Marathon since 1986.

New for 2014, bonuses for event record times established at B.A.A. Distance Medley events will be $5,000 for the B.A.A. 5K, $7,500 for the B.A.A. 10K, and $10,000 for the B.A.A. Half Marathon. Boston Marathon event record bonuses will continue to be provided through John Hancock’s sponsorship of the Boston Marathon.

 

“The prize structure for B.A.A. events promotes and recognizes elite athletes who achieve at the highest level of our sport,” said B.A.A. Executive Director Tom Grilk. “The mission of the B.A.A. remains the promotion of health and fitness through sports, and our commitment to elite athletes is an important component of our mission. We look forward to welcoming many of the world’s best athletes to our events in 2014.”

Established in 2012, the B.A.A. Distance Medley is now in its third year. In 2012 and 2013, the male and female with the fastest cumulative gun time in the three-race series each won $100,000 in prize money, in addition to prize money won at each race of the series.

 

Kenyans Allan Kiprono and Stephen Sambu were the men’s B.A.A. Distance Medley champions in 2012 and 2013, respectively. New Zealand native and Providence, RI resident Kim Smith was the women’s B.A.A. Distance Medley champion in 2012 and 2013.

Also included on the B.A.A. schedule of athletic events is the B.A.A. Invitational Mile on Saturday, April 19, 2014. This one-mile road race, which starts and finishes at the Boston Marathon finish line, offers a $14,500 prize purse to professional runners. Top finishes at the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will not count toward B.A.A. Distance Medley bonus incentives.

 

Prize Money Structure for 2014 B.A.A. Distance Medley Events

 

Overall/Open Division
Place	B.A.A. 5K	B.A.A. 10K	B.A.A. Half Marathon
1	$7,500	$10,000	$10,000
2	$4,000	$5,000	$6,000
3	$2,500	$3,000	$4,000
4	$1,500	$1,500	$2,500
5	$1,000	$1,000	$1,200
6	$750	$750	$1,000
7	$600	$500	$600
8	$400	$400	$500
9	$300	$300	$300
10	$200	$200	$200
Masters Division
1	$300	$300	$300
2	$200	$200	$200
3	$100	$100	$100
Push Rim Wheelchair Division
1	$300	$500	$500
2	$200	$300	$300
3	$100	$200	$200
TOTAL	$39,900	$48,500	$55,800

 

2014 B.A.A. Schedule of Events

EVENT	DATES
B.A.A. 5K	Saturday, April 19, 2014
Boston Marathon	Monday, April 21, 2014
B.A.A. 10K	Sunday, June 22, 2014
B.A.A. Half Marathon	Sunday, October 12, 2014

 

 

Bonus Incentives for Top Overall Finishes in 2014 B.A.A. Events *:

Win three of the four events	$50,000
Win two of the four events	$20,000
Place in the top two in three of the four events	$10,000
Place in the top three in three of the four events	$5,000

* Includes finishes in the Boston Marathon. Only the single highest bonus will be awarded to a runner.

Event Record Bonuses:

EVENT	BONUS
B.A.A. 5K	$5,000
B.A.A. 10K	$7,500
B.A.A. Half Marathon	$10,000
Boston Marathon*	$25,000

* Event Record bonuses in the Boston Marathon are provided through John Hancock’s sponsorship of the Boston Marathon.

 

B.A.A. 5K Event Records:

TIME	NAME	CITIZENSHIP	YEAR
13:37	Dejen Gebremeskel	Ethiopia	2013
15:12	Werknesh Kidane	Ethiopia	2012

 

B.A.A. 10K Event Records:

TIME	NAME	CITIZENSHIP	YEAR
27:19	Geoffrey Mutai	Kenya	2011
31:36	Kim Smith	New Zealand	2012

 

B.A.A. Half Marathon Event Records:

TIME	NAME	CITIZENSHIP	YEAR
1:00:34	Lelisa Desisa	Ethiopia	2013
1:09:14	Kim Smith	New Zealand	2013

 

Boston Marathon Event Records:

TIME	NAME	CITIZENSHIP	YEAR
2:03:02*	Geoffrey Mutai	Kenya	2011
2:20:43	Margaret Okayo	Kenya	2002

* World Best time. Through John Hancock’s sponsorship of the Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. awards a $50,000 bonus for World Best times established at the Boston Marathon.

 

About the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors, along with the international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2014. The 118^th Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 21, 2014. For more information on the B.A.A., please visitwww.baa.org.