Prize money of $50,000 will be on offer in the first Ballarat Marathon road running festival to be held on April 27 & 28 next year.
Winners of the men’s and women’s Marathon will take home a guaranteed $6000, with a further $3000 in time bonuses on offer to each winner.
Second place in each Marathon will receive $2500, while third will take home $1250.
Each race that forms part of the festival will have prize money awarded to the top three place-getters.
There’s $2000 on offer to the winners of the Mile and the 5km races, which will be held on the Saturday afternoon.
The runners who cross the line first in the Half Marathon will take home $1500, while the winners of the 10km will each receive $500.
Winners of the showcase Wheelchair 10km will receive $1500.
“It is a significant amount of prize money,” Ballarat Marathon Race Director Steve Moneghetti said.
“There’s a focus on the full marathon and a couple of little bonuses there for the men and women if they run fast.
“That will attract a certain level of athlete. By getting them here, we get a number of elite runners in the field and that really attracts the recreational runner as well.”
The prize money pool was revealed as part of a function to mark “Six months to go”, which was held at Federation University Australia’s Mt Helen campus on Tuesday.
Federation University is one of the major sponsors of the Ballarat Marathon.
The event has also received substantial backing from the City of Ballarat, which was represented by Cr Samantha McIntosh at Tuesday’s function.
“The Ballarat Marathon is shaping up as an event that will have something for everyone, from the serious runner right down to people just looking to try something new,” she said.
“We foresee the event having a big impact on people being active in Ballarat and hope it will encourage more people to get moving, even if they don’t enter the full marathon events.”
Registrations for the various races that make up the Ballarat Marathon road running festival are now open at www.ballaratmarathon.com.au.
BALLARAT MARATHON PRIZE MONEY (equal prize money for men and women)
MARATHON: First $6000; Second $2500; Third $1250 (time bonuses of up to $3000 available to winners)
HALF MARATHON: First $1500; Second $750; Third $375
WHEELCHAIR 10KM: First $1000, Second $500, Third $250
10KM: First $500; Second $250; Third $125
5KM: First $2000; Second 1000; Third $500
MILE: First $2000; Second $1000; Third $500
MEN’S MARATHON TIME BONUSES
Sub 2:15:00 – $1000
Sub 2:12:30 – $2000
Sub 2:10:00 – $3000
WOMEN’S MARATHON TIME BONUSES
Sub 2:32:30 – $1000
Sub 2:30:00 – $2000
Sub 2:27:30 – $3000
