N.Y. Marathon Will Offer Incentives to U.S. Runners

The director of the New York City Marathon will offer incentive prize money to Americans if they are among the top three finishers in the annual race.

Director Fred Lebow said that any U.S. citizen who wins the men’s or women’s competition will get an extra $10,000 and there will be an extra $5,000 for an American finishing second or third in either division.

That is in addition to the present top prize of $25,000 and a new Mercedez-Benz auto winning the 26 mile, 385 yard race, he said.

Lebow said that since the marathon started offering prize money no American has won since Alberto Salazar in 1983. His time in that race was 2:09:21, the last sub-2:10 by an American.

That time has been beaten 45 times since then by 28 men from 13 countries.

U.S. women have not finished under 2:30 for 3 1/2 years except for Olympic champion Joan Benoit Samuelson. During that time, 20 women from 13 foreign countries ran faster a total of 49 times.

Prize money for the New York City Marathon totals $274,000 without the American incentive bonuses.

“What’s happening is puzzling,” Lebow said. He theorized that since prize money was offered, instead of inspiring more Americans, it attracted a greater number of Asians, Africans and Europeans to race for the purse.

“There are more world class runners to pick from,” he said of the increased number of foreign competitors participating. “The numbers are against us.”