MERRIE MILE OFFERS INCREASED PRIZE MONEY AND NEW RECORD BONUSES
By Rich Sands, @thatrichsands.bsky.social
(c) 2024 Weekly Race Results, all rights reserved – used with permission.

HONOLULU (Dec. 4) – Already one of the most prestigious road mile races in the United States, the Kalakaua Merrie Mile is now also the most lucrative. Race organizers announced Tuesday that the winner of the Dec. 7 event will receive $7,500, the highest first-place prize in any American road mile.

This brings the total prize pool to $18,000 – up from $10,000 in 2023 – for the unique mixed-gender pursuit race, which will feature 11 Olympians. The professional women’s field has a 32-second lead over the men and prize money is awarded based on the overall order of placement for the top five. The runner-up receives $5,000, followed by $3,000 for third, $1,500 for fourth and $1,000 for fifth. (A woman has not yet won the event, but that could change as this year’s lead is the longest it has ever been.)

In addition to the total prize money, the race offers prizes of $10,000 for a world record and $5,000 for a U.S. record. The current world records are 3:51.3 by Briton Elliot Giles, set last September, and 4:20.98 by Ethiopian Diribe Welteji, who won the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championship title. Yared Nuguse (3:51.9) and Nikki Hiltz (4:28.0) hold the US records.

“The increase in prize money for the Kalakaua Merrie Mile is a recognition of the incredible contributions that world-class athletes have made to this incredible event,” said Dr. Jim Barahal, president of the Honolulu Marathon Association, which runs the race. “As we begin a new era of this event with global streaming, we want to reward the world’s top athletes and work with them for many years to come.”

The race was first held in 2016 in conjunction with the Honolulu Marathon and has quickly become a popular event, attracting Olympians and international stars from around the world. Nine months after winning last year’s race, Nuguse took the bronze medal in the Olympic 1500 meter race in Paris.

“I really love bringing athletes to KMM in Honolulu; it is the best way to end our year and celebrate a successful year,” said coach and agent Stephen Haas, who represents five athletes this year. “The Honolulu Marathon team has really helped my athletes grow in this sport by giving them the great opportunity to compete down here against some of the best athletes in the world every year. We are really excited about this year’s race and have been really looking forward to it.” I try to put on a good show for everyone who comes along.

The race takes place on a World Athletics-certified out-and-back course along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. In addition to the professional area, around 2,500 citizen runners will take part. A live stream begins Saturday at 7:30 a.m. local time (12:30 p.m. Eastern Time) on the Honolulu Marathon YouTube channel (12:30 p.m. EST).

Hiltz — the reigning U.S. indoor and outdoor 1,500-meter track and field champion — will compete in the Merrie Mile this year after finishing fifth overall last year. The women’s field also includes Susan Ejore-Sanders of Kenya, who finished sixth in the 1500m at the Paris Olympics (one place ahead of Hiltz), as well as American Olympians Emily Mackay, Heather MacLean and Weini Kelati; Irish Olympian Sophie O’Sullivan and Japanese Olympian Nozomi Tanaka. Rounding out the field is Sinclaire Johnson, the 2022 U.S. 1500 champion who placed fourth at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.

On the men’s side, they are pursuing several Olympians, including Americans Hobbs Kessler (2023 World Track and Field Champion in the road mile), Bryce Hoppel and Nico Young; Australian Oliver Hoare; and Neil Gourley of Great Britain, the winner of the 2022 Merrie Mile. Also taking part are Australia’s Jack Anstey, Kenya’s Festus Lagat and last year’s runner-up Vince Ciattei, who finished fourth at the US Olympics in June.

“The Kalakaua Merrie Mile is one of my favorite events of the year. There is no better athlete experience anywhere,” Ciattei said. “For the organizers, increasing the prize money on top of everything they do for us during race week is a great investment in the sport. Last year I was looking forward to my first chance at the Merrie Mile in the fall and to come back and compete for bigger prize money this year is even more motivating.”

PHOTO: Vince Ciattei (right) finished second in the 2023 Kalakaua Merrie Mile in Honolulu; he and third-place finisher Hobbs Kessler (left) will both compete in the 2024 edition of the event (Photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)