I have to admit that I was genuinely disappointed when I heard about World Marathon Majors drastically cutting back their yearly award to top elite males and females. I found this piece by Toni Reavis, who just won the 2022 George Hirsch Journalism Award at the New York City marathon; Toni Reavis wrote this piece in late September 2022 to put the World Marathon Majors announcement in perspective.

The World Marathon Majors has committed an act of business suicide by cutting the prize, for the second time in several years, to where the prize has little or no meaning.

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Well, just read Toni Reavis’ piece, as he explains it quite well.

We have posted the first paragraphs and then linked to Toni’s fine blog and story! Toni Reavis is one of the finest writers and commentators on our sport and has been for the last several decades. Toni is also from my hometown, Saint Louis, Missouri. His blog, Wandering in a Running World is masterful, well-written, and wonderfully opinionated. I love it.

WORLD MARATHON MAJORS SLASHES TOP PRIZE

Let’s just cut to the chase, shall we? The Abbott World Marathon Majors just gave up, right? By announcing they have slashed their top series prize from $250,000 to $50,000, effective immediately, they’ve essentially admitted it’s over. They can’t do what they wanted to do when they began the series in 2006 as a “championship-style competition for marathon runners”, i.e. make stars out of the best runners in the world. Simple as that. We tried but couldn’t do it; here’s proof.

Nor have the top runners made any attempt to help in that regard, either. They, their managers, and coaches are just as much to blame for the current state of affairs. But that’s what this whole 69% reduction in the Abbott World Marathon Majors’ prize structure is telling us.

To read the entire piece, please click here: https://tonireavis.com/2022/09/29/world-marathon-majors-slashes-top-prize/#more-23531

Author

Larry Eder

Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys.

Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."

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