Chicago Marathon competitors are motivated by their desire to achieve incredible feats, but the top finishers also get a tidy paycheck for their efforts.
In fact, the prize purse in the men’s and women’s open divisions totals $560,000, and the purse in the men’s and women’s wheelchair top finishes collect a total of $240,000, according to officials.
Winners in the men’s and women’s masters divisions also get checks, with the top finisher earning $2,000 and the second and third-place finishers earning $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.
Here is a full breakdown of the men’s and women’s open division prizes:
1st - $100,000
2nd - $75,000
3rd - $50,000
Local
4th - $30,000
5th - $25,000
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Here are the prizes in the men’s and women’s wheelchair divisions:
1st - $40,000
2nd - $30,000
3rd - $20,000
4th - $15,000
5th – $10,000
6th - $5,000
The American men’s and women’s open divisions have their own prize pools as well:
1st - $15,000
2nd - $12,000
3rd - $10,000
4th - $7,000
5th - $5,000
Finally, there are bonuses available to competitors who set new course records, with $50,000 available to competitors in the men’s and women’s open divisions and the men’s and women’s wheelchair races.
This year, Catherine Debrunner captured the bonus in the women’s wheelchair race, and Ruth Chepngetich will earn the bonus for her world-record setting performance in the women’s open division race.