$1M Battle is Coming Down to NYC Finish Line

Posted by NYRR on October 14, 2013

Every runner in the ING New York City Marathon will have something at stake, whether reaching their goal of winning the race or just finishing it. But only four athletes will have a share of $1 million and the World Marathon Majors title on the line.

In the men’s race, Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda and late entry Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia will duke it out to claim the 2012-2013 World Marathon Majors crown for the men, while Edna Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo, both of Kenya, will face off on the women’s side as the big-money finish comes down to a high-stakes race-within-a-race in NYC.

Six big-city marathons—in Tokyo, London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, and New York—plus the Olympic Games and IAAF World Championships make up the World Marathon Majors series, in which professional athletes vie for points over a two-season cycle leading to a grand, winner-take-all prize of $500,000 for the top man and top woman.

Including ING New York City prize money, the top athletes on November 3 could take home more than $750,000 each.

For the men, the jackpot comes down solely to the outcome on the streets of NYC: either Kiprotich, the reigning Olympic and World champion, or Kebede, winner of the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon and 2013 Virgin Money London Marathon, will run away with the top prize. Kebede is in the driver’s seat, leading the series with 65 points, with Kiprotich in third with 50. But it will be a high-speed chase game nonetheless.