New York, March 12, 2014—New and increased financial support for the best of NYRR’s membership and race participants was announced today by Sam Grotewold, New York Road Runners’ manager of professional athletes. NYRR members and nonmembers alike will have the opportunity to earn a bonus or training stipend by qualifying for the 2016 U.S.  Olympic Trials, providing he or she meets the eligibility requirements of the program.

The 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifier Bonus Program is a new initiative open to any U.S. Olympic Trials–eligible U.S. citizen and will provide a $500 bonus to an athlete who achieves a qualifying time for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in the marathon at specified NYRR events. Eligible events include the 2014 and 2015 NYC Half and 2014 and 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, as well as the 2014 and 2015 More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon and the 2015 Fred Lebow Manhattan Half.

“Although the U.S. Olympic Trials are a once-in-every-four-years event, for the athletes trying to get there, they’re the culmination of a lifetime of round-the-clock dedication and focus,” said Grotewold, NYRR’s manager of professional athletes. “With this new Trials-qualifier bonus, we hope to recognize the hard work it takes just to get to the Trials, and to thank those athletes who choose to chase their dreams on the streets of New York.”

NYRR has also increased its U.S. Olympic Trials Training Stipend program to a $2,016 stipend for NYRR members who qualify for and compete in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in distance events from the 800 meters to the marathon, providing he or she meets the eligibility requirements.

To be eligible for the stipend, an athlete must:

• Have been an NYRR member for at least three months prior to the date of his or her qualifying performance for the Trials
• Compete in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials in one of the following events: 800 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters, 10,000 meters, 3000-meter steeplechase, or marathon
• Participate in at least four NYRR races between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016
• Volunteer at or participate in at least one NYRR Youth Programs event between January 1, 2015,
•  and December 31, 2016

The program was launched in 2012 and 13 athletes earned the bonus, totaling more than $26,000 in payouts. Two athletes whom the program benefitted in 2012—Mike Cassidy of Staten Island and Caroline LeFrak of Manhattan—will be lining up with the top elite runners in the five boroughs and the surrounding region to take on some of the world’s fastest men and women at the NYC Half on March 16.

NYRR has steadily strengthened its financial support of the fastest NYRR members, increasing NYRR member prize money every year since 2005; the prize purses now totals more than $100,000 per year. Prize money is spread throughout the yearly race calendar, and a number of new races in 2014 will have prize money for the first time, including the New York Giants Run of Champions 5K and the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run.

In addition to prize money, NYRR offers the President’s Circle program, which recognizes and celebrates the New York City area’s highest-achieving athletes. The program provides complimentary entry into most NYRR events for members who have met qualifying times. The entry standards for each distance and other eligibility requirements can be found here.

About NYRR

Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to run for life. NYRR’s premier event, the TCS New York City Marathon, features 50,000 participants, from the world’s elite athletes to a wide range of recreational and charity runners, and is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six biggest marathons that determines each year’s top male and top female marathoner. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org