London Marathon awards wheelchair and non-disabled athletes equal prize money
In a global first for equality in sports, wheelchair athletes and non-disabled runners participating in the London Marathon were competing for the same prize money.
LONDON — In a global first for equality in sports, wheelchair athletes and non-disabled runners participating in the London Marathon on Sunday were competing for the exact same prize money.
The move makes the event the only marathon in the world to award winners the same sum — $55,000 for first place, $30,000 for the runners-up and $22,500 for third-place finishers. Organizers said they were unaware of any other major athletic event in any sport that has taken a similar step.
By equalizing the prize pot, marathon organizers have said they hope to pave the way for other races and sporting events to offer parity, encouraging more athletes to participate in disability sport and removing financial barriers to participation. The parity extends to gender: Both male and female wheelchair athletes are eligible for equal prize amounts.
The men's wheelchair division race was won by Marcel Hug, a Paralympian widely considered the world’s best wheelchair racer, who cheered the decision ahead of the race.
“The London Marathon is setting a great and strong but also courageous example for equality and inclusion that should go beyond the world of sport and hopefully inspires in other areas, too,” Hug told NBC News.
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