Eager to change the standard award allocation of "top three overall and age group winners", the crew at the Syracuse Festival of Races has announced a format where anyone can be a prize winner...and pick up some cash to boot! It's called AnyRunner Prize Money.
Here's how it works - they announce a number of target finish times for a 5k, such as 16:19, 17:19, and 21:19, and the runners who come closest to those finish times get to split the prize pot. The racers are chipped, so watching the finish clock doesn't necessarily guarantee you hit it right. Still, I imagine there are some funny finishes when XX:19 rolls around!
Below is more info about the format, and the race is scheduled for Oct 2nd. Go get your tempo work rolling! I hope somebody gets a video of a bunch of people trying to hit a time. ;-)
- SD
Syracuse Festival Of Races Announces AnyRunner Prize Money˙ Times
$2,400 Up for Grabs in First-Ever, Performance-Based Prize Money for
Middle-of-the-Pack and Back-of-the-Pack Runners
SYRACUSE, N.Y. ˆ The Syracuse Festival of Races (SFoR) has announced the twenty-four 5K finishing times that runners from throughout the U.S. will be aiming for in the world‚s first performance-based prize money race for middle-of-the-pack and back-of-the-pack runners. The new AnyRunner Prize Money˙ will debut in conjunction with the Men‚s 5K and Women‚s 5K at the 19th annual SFoR on Sunday, October 2nd.
"As the name implies, AnyRunner Prize Money˙ is intended to give runners finishing throughout a broad range of times the opportunity to enjoy the experience of racing for˜and winning˜prize money," says Dave Oja, founder and race director of the SFoR. "Nearly every runner in our 5K fields will be capable of running one of the twenty-four AnyRunner Prize Money˙ times, and we expect that scores of them will hit those times."
The key to winning a share of the $2,400 prize purse, however, is to be the first to finish in one of the twenty-four AnyRunner Prize Money˙ times. In the Men‚s 5K, the twelve AnyRunner Prize Money˙ times for 2011 are: 15:19; 17:19; 19:19; 21:19; 23:19; 25:19; 27:19; 29:19; 31:19; 33:19; 35:19; and 37:19. In the Women‚s 5K, the twelve AnyRunner Prize Money˙ times for 2011 are: 17:19; 19:19; 21:19; 23:19; 25:19; 27:19; 29:19; 31:19; 33:19; 35:19; 37:19; and 39:19.
With entries already received from thirteen states, and a limit of 800 in each of the two 5K races, Oja expects the Festival‚s 5K race fields to fill completely. "How cool is it for runners who‚ve never even won an age group award to have a chance to win $100?" he asks.
In addition to the Men‚s 5K and Women‚s 5K, SFoR events include the MVP Health Care 3K Fun & Fitness Run, the Tops Friendly Markets Community Walk, and the Fitness Forum/Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists Joint Replacement Run & Walk. Participants in the various SFoR events range from area pre-school children and their families to world-class age-group athletes as old as 93 competing in the 2011 USA Masters 5 km Championship.
Additional information regarding the 19th annual Syracuse Festival of Races, including an AnyRunner Prize Money˙ Questions & Answers page, is available at: www.festivalofraces.com.
Cha-ching! That sounds awesome, better incentive to win I think!!! visit me @ http://notyouraveragerunningmom.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI like how Karl Meltzer runs his speedgoat 50k awards, "For the record, we have over 100 prizes to give away. There will be a list of prizes near the registration table. We do not do age groups, we select a prize, then randomly select a place. These prizes and places correspond with each other and if you place in a spot that takes a prize, you’ll get it when you cross the finish line, eliminating any “awards ceremony”. When is giving awards away a “ceremony” anyway?"
ReplyDeleteThe racers are chipped, so watching the finish clock doesn't necessarily guarantee you hit it right.
ReplyDeleteNearly every runner in their 5K fields will be capable of running one of the twenty-four AnyRunner Prize Money times.
ReplyDeleteThanks for helping to spread the word about AnyRunner Prize Money, Scott! Just to be absolutely clear about how we're doing this at this year's Syracuse Festival of Races: It's not a matter of coming close to one of the 24 AnyRunner Prize Money times, it's about being the FIRST official finisher in any of them. The 24 times are posted at www.festivalofraces.com, and they include $100 for the first male finisher in exactly 37:19 and the first female finisher in exactly 39:19. Prize money for fast, not-so-fast, and downright slow runners. What fun!
ReplyDeleteDave Oja, 315-446-6285