NEW prizes are being offered at this year's Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon in York to give top British and Irish athletes an extra incentive to take part.

A total cash pot of £3,800 is being reserved for runners holding a valid British or Irish passport, paying prizes ranging from £500 to £100 to the leading British and Irish runners.

There will also be total cash prizes of £4,200 for the first three men and women across the finish line in York on October 11, with the male winner and female winner each receiving £1,200, and £600 going to second place and £300 for third.

All entrants will also be eligible for time bonuses, a new feature established to reward outstanding performances, with any men going below 2:15 getting £750 and the same sum going to any women going under 2:35.

Every man finishing below 2:20 will receive £500 and that amount will also be given to women getting under 2:42. The time bonuses are in addition to the cash prize fund.

A £1,000 prize is also being offered to anyone who can set a new course record – currently 2:13:31 for men and 2:40:06 for women, and there are wheelchair athlete prizes and a number of age category prizes.

Steve Worthington, elite athlete co-ordinator for the marathon, said that after reviewing last year’s elite race, organisers wanted to re-focus the approach by developing a prize structure that better reflected their aims for 2015.

"Not only do we want to attract top international athletes, we also want the very best British athletes to join us at the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon. With a larger, deeper British only prize pot, along with the addition of time related bonuses for all who achieve them, our 2015 prize fund reflects this desire.

“By making these changes to the prize pot, and including incentives and pacers to encourage a fast, competitive race, we hope that the 2015 Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon will be our most exciting race yet.”

For more information about the marathon, go to www.theyorkshiremarathon.com