The 129th running of the Boston Marathon is set to take place this coming Monday, April 21st. The 26.2-mile event, which begins in Hopkinton, Mass., and ends on Boston's Boylston Street, is the world's oldest annual marathon and as a result, is one of the most well-known road racing events in the world.
Of course, winning—or even placing in—this historic race is an accomplishment in its own right, but said achievement can also come with a lofty prize.
The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.), which has run the Boston Marathon since its inception in 1987, distributes prize money across the men's and women's participants in the Open, Masters, Wheelchair, and Para divisions of the race. Additionally, there's a course record bonus—should it be broken—for the Open, Wheelchair, and Para divisions.
Here's a look at how said prize money is divided, courtesy of BAA.org:
Total Prize Money for the Boston Marathon
Across all four divisions of the Boston Marathon, an astounding $1,186,000 in prize money will be distributed to select participants.
A closer look reveals that the Top-10 finishers in both the Open Division and the T53/54/34 Wheelchair Division, as well as the Top-3 finishers in the T51-52 Wheelchair Division and the Masters Division, receive a payout.
Additionally, the Top-3 finishers in all seven Para divisions (T11/T12, T13, T45/T46/T47, T61/T63/T43, T62/T64;T42/T44, T35-T38, T20) also receive a payout.
Here's a look at how the payouts breakdown:
How Prize Money Is Distributed Among Runners
Here is the payout breakdown for the Open, Wheelchair, and Masters divisions at the Boston Marathon:
And here is a look at the payout breakdowns for the Para divisions:
Bonuses & Additional Prize Incentives
On top of payouts for placing in the race, the B.A.A. will distribute a $50,000 bonus should any runner in the Open, Wheelchair (T53/54/34), or Para divisions break the course record.
Here's a look at the Boston Marathon course records:
Additionally, each Para division carries a $500 reward should the course record be broken.
More on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Boston Marathon Prize Money: Breakdown, Distribution, Incentives, and More.
