Getty A participant finishes the United Airlines Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon San Francisco on April 07, 2019 in San Francisco, California.
Most of the approximately 27,500 runners at the San Francisco Marathon just have the goal of finishing. By pushing through the 26.2-mile course, you get various prizes tangible and intangible. This includes running over the Golden Gate Bridge, through the redwoods and by the scenic AT&T Park, but also a t-shirt, medal and some booze.
In addition, those who finish the race under the allotted times for their age group can qualify for the Boston Marathon next April. The various certifying times are posted here.
However, there is an actual gift prize for the top-3 finisher for both the men and women. According to the marathon website, “Gifts will be issued to the top 3 Men and Women in the Full Marathon. Once official results have been finalized, award plaques are created, personalized and mailed.”
It’s not clear what if this prize is monetary or not. The winners used to receive prize money upwards of $10,000. However, as the website stated back in 2014, that tradition discontinued due to a lack of corporate sponsorship.
Who Is Leading at the San Francisco Marathon?
Billington is our champion for the 2019 bIOFREEZE SF Marathon! With a finish of 2:25:25🎉
The male winner is James Billington of the United Kingdom, who crossed the finish line at 2:25:25 officially.
On the female side, Nina Zarina crossed the finish line first with an official time of 2:47:01. She had previously reached the 17.5-mile point with a 1:51 split before surging to victory.
Billington is from Nottingham according to his Strava profile. He posted a fundraiser for his wife’s charity Equation in 2017 when he ran the Edinburgh Marathon. The charity is to support victims of domestic abuse.
1 in 4 women will still experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, so Equation challenge the attitudes and behaviours that cause domestic abuse. Their GREAT primary school project has won awards for enabling children to grow up understanding what a healthy relationship looks like and knowing how to build one for themselves. Equation give out safety information, support male survivors of abuse and bring the whole community together to provide the best possible response when abuse happens.
Meanwhile, Zarina is a Russian-born marathon runner. According to European Athletics, her personal best time prior to Sunday was at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2017, where she posted a 2:43:15. She ranked No. 17 at that race.
While not her personal best, she’ll surely take the victory at such a major marathon prior to Boston.
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San Francisco Marathon Prize: What Do Winners Receive?