Would you like to win a million dollars for running a marathon? How about any money? Many of us are content to win some type of door prize or age group award at local road races. Like me you probably don’t think about making racing a career.

For the elite athletes it is quite different. Many get paid to simply race. But they also get extras, including special hotels, food, post-race amenities, their own aid stations, and much more. When I volunteered at the Chicago Marathon I got to see the elite athletes and their aid station (see picture). Payouts are based on overall finish times, with bonuses for breaking records – American, World, and Course.

The upcoming Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon has a listing of their payouts:

Did you notice at the bottom: New [World] Record Bonus – $1,000,000. Even the first place prize money is far more than any other major marathon.So who is running? There is a link on the marathon page, but it is blank. Their News Page announces that Haile Gebrselassie will be racing. He seems to be the only household name, another name I saw a lot in the press releases is Willy Rotich. Gebreslassie would have to break his own World Record to earn the million dollar prize.

Technorati: Marathon Dubai Elite Running