Running / Julie Cart : In Joining Money Race, Boston Marathon Hopes to Catch Its Second Wind

In October, the running battles are waged between Chicago and New York. In April, the marathon wars become global.

The venerable Patriots’ Day Race, the Boston Marathon as we have come to know the April 21 footrace, used to choke on tradition. Now it has swallowed much of its tradition and announced that it will offer prize money for the first time in its 1986 race. Its $250,000 purse ranks the marathon no more than world-class, but by Boston standards it represents a wrenching break with its past.

It had long been the policy of the organizers of the Hopkinton-to-Boston race not to pay runners appearance fees and performance bonuses. The prize money for top athletes at Boston used to be low in relation to the race’s high prestige.

But a years-old struggle within the Boston Athletic Assn. ended this year when dissidents in the organization convinced the majority that the 89-year-old race could not continue to compete against marathons in Pittsburgh, Rotterdam and Hiroshima.

The decision by the BAA to create a prize-money structure was helped, no doubt, by a 10-year commitment from the John Hancock Insurance Co. to provide $10 million to support the race.

World-class runners are the key to the legitimacy of any race, and on that score, Boston may be in trouble. Joan Benoit Samuelson admitted that she’s sentimental about Boston, where she once set a world marathon record, but sentiment is not likely to rejuvenate her ailing body for another marathon so soon after her Chicago race in October.

Bill Rodgers, who made his name as Boston Billy, has won the race four times and has announced that he will end his boycott of Boston. Rodgers, who was seventh in this year’s New York City Marathon, had refused to run Boston while the BAA refused to offer prize money.

In Boston’s favor, the race may use its unprecedented prize money structure as an incentive to lure reticent runners. Other world-class road racers, presumably, share Rodgers’ pocketbook sentiment. Also remarkable for Boston is the announcement that equal prize money will offered to men and women. There is a generous performance bonus structure. But, say organizers, no appearance fees. The rewards from Boston will go the the swiftest, not the most marketable.

“All our money is on performance,” BAA administrator Guy Morse said. “The innovative feature is equal prizes for men and women. In other races, they tend to drop off (for women).”

The structure will pay $30,000 to the first-place male and female finisher, with performance bonuses of $5,000 to men who break 2 hours 10 minutes and to women who break 2:26. The prize money will go 15 deep and offer equal payoffs to both men and women. Prize money for second place is $20,000, third is $15,000, fourth is $12,000 and fifth is $10,000.

Stealing an idea from New York, the winning man and woman will each receive a new car, the make yet to be determined.

In addition, a world record is worth $50,000 and a course record is worth $25,000.

The success of the Chicago race has proved that the right amount of money can create a world-class marathon. It remains to be seen if the infusion of big dollars can revitalize one.

Running Notes Second City update: True, the America’s Marathon in Chicago has a long way to go to develop the level of spectator interest that New York enjoys, but at least the sponsoring corporation, Beatrice, knows it. Beatrice talked someone at the Chicago Tribune into writing a race day story headlined: “Lesson On How To Cheer.” Included in the helpful package were sample pep lines such as, “Nice running,” “You’ll make it” and “Keep drinking water.” . . . New York Marathon race director Fred Lebow ran the America’s Marathon but dropped out at 15 miles. . . . According to Road Race Management, an insiders’ newsletter, an economic impact study commissioned by the organizers of the New York City Marathon disclosed that the marathon brought $54,800,000 into the city, raised $810,000 in taxes and cost the city $600,000. . . . The Long Beach Marathon free running clinics continue every Saturday from now until Feb. 8. The clinics begin at 9 a.m. at Wardlow Park in Long Beach. The marathon is Feb. 2. Grete Waitz will conduct a free running seminar from 2-4 p.m. Nov. 16 in the Robert Frost Auditorium at Culver City High School.