Marathon Organizers Hope For a Fast Finish : Running: They’re offering money and bonuses to pick up the pace of race that lacks world-class competitors.

Organizers of the Goodyear Orange County Marathon announced on Monday ambitious plans for what they hope will be the next world-class marathon in the United States.

Then they got down to reality--namely discussing details of this year’s inaugural and more modest event, scheduled Sunday, Nov. 3.

The 26.2-mile race, which will begin at 8 a.m. at Anaheim Stadium and finish near UC Irvine, has been the source of much speculation among area runners this summer. Some, pointing to past county marathon failures, doubted the race would materialize.

But organizers say the race is quite healthy, thanks to a collection of sponsors--including Goodyear, USAir and BMW--that will make it the richest in county history.

Men’s and women’s division winners each will receive a BMW 318i. An additional $40,000 will be divided among those finishing second through 10th.

Also, a $100,000 bonus will be awarded the men’s and women’s winner if they better the world record--2 hours 6 minutes 50 seconds for men (held by Belaine Densimo of Ethiopia) and 2:21:06 for women (Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway).

The $100,000 bonus seems safely locked away, at least for a while. None of the top entrants announced Monday have come close to world-record times.

The best runner expected to compete is Danny Boltz of Switzerland. He finished second at this year’s City of Los Angeles Marathon in 2:11:10. The fastest women’s entrant is Leslie Lewis, of Los Angeles, who has a personal best of 2:37.

Organizers hyped the expected appearance of former marathon great Alberto Salazar, saying Salazar planned to use the race as a tuneup for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials next spring.

However, Salazar, who set the U.S. record (and then world record) of 2:08:13 a decade ago at the New York City Marathon, has been plagued with illness and injury in recent years. At The Athletics Congress national championships in June, he dropped out midway through the 10,000-meter event.

Still, elite runners without world-record credentials have more reasonable bonus prize opportunities: Anyone finishing faster than 2:11 will win an extra $4,000, and any U.S. runner not ranked in the top 10 but finishing better than 2:20 (for men) and 2:45 (women) will receive $300.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the marathon is the incorporation of a “primes” system, similar to one used in world-class cycling events.

In the primes system, the first runners through five checkpoints--5 kilometer, 10K, 10 mile, 13.1 mile and 20 mile--will win an additional prize, such as a week-long trip for two to London or Frankfurt-- as long as the runner still finishes among the top 25.

That, organizers say, should keep the pack moving at a fast pace.

But marathoners won’t be the only athletes involved in the event. A $2,450 5K event, coordinated by two-time Olympian Steve Scott, will be offered as well as a 3K and 1K fun run/walk.

Top wheelchair racers, including Jim Knaub of Long Beach, will compete for $20,000 in prize money. And a Rollerblade marathon--organizers say it’s the first of its kind--also will be offered. Both events start at 7:05 a.m.

Kent Bowen, president and chief executive officer of Orange County Marathon, Inc., said he came up with the idea of a world-class marathon in Orange County two years ago. Bowen, 29, of Costa Mesa, is a former professional cyclist and a fourth-generation native of the county.

Organizers say about 2,000 runners have entered the marathon, and they expect from 4,000 to 12,000 to show up on race day.

“It’s sort of a running bet in our office,” said Ralph Sutter, the marathon’s logistics coordinator.

The course begins on State College Boulevard, just south of the intersection at Katella. It then runs through Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Irvine, where it finishes on Campus Drive near Bridge Road.

Because of a Ram game on the same day, parking will not be allowed at Anaheim Stadium. Runners will be asked to park at UCI’s Bren Center in time to take buses to the starting line from 5 to 7 a.m.

The race will be televised about a week later on Prime Ticket.