Winnings arrive in long run

With the Las Vegas Marathon making the final strides toward its 2007 event Sunday, race officials finally put financial commitments to the 2006 winners behind them.

On Nov. 21, reigning men's champion Joseph Kahugu received his $15,000 first-place prize, plus his $50,000 bonus for winning the event's male-female challenge. Likewise, on Friday, fellow Kenyan Jemima Jelagat received her $15,000 first-place money as the women's winner in last December's race.

Shawn Hellebuyck, the agent for Jelagat, expressed no ill will, but she did admit that the process dragged out much longer than she could have imagined.

"Forty-five days is a good guesstimate, and if there's drug-testing at the event, then perhaps two months," said Hellebuyck, whose husband Eddy won the 1995 and '99 half-marathon events in the previous incarnation of the Las Vegas Marathon. "And there was no drug testing last year."

Kahugu's agent, Derek Froude, was preparing for a trip to Japan and was unavailable for comment. However, Kahugu is expected back to defend his title Sunday.

Race president Bill Burke attributed the delay in payment to the rapid expansion of the event. Chicago-based Devine Sports took over the marathon in 2005, getting the course to include the Strip in a huge, and costly, makeover for the event. The race drew about 11,000 participants in 2005 and grew to 16,000 last year with the addition of a half-marathon.

"We had growing pains," Burke said Monday. "It's a growing business. Last year, we had no sponsors. This year, we have significant sponsors, so we're in much better shape."

Devine Sports had a similar issue earlier this year in paying winners of the February 2006 Los Angeles Marathon.

Burke said race officials kept in touch with Kahugu and Jelagat during the past 50 weeks, and the checks were sent out last week.

"When we're late, we know we're late, but we still stay in touch with people," he said. "We make sure they get paid. No one ever doesn't get paid."

Hellebuyck said she did indeed keep in contact with race officials, usually via e-mail, but the responses varied. A reply to an early May e-mail indicated that payment would be forthcoming by the end of that month; a June e-mail reply stated that she would get an answer that day; and an August e-mail reply stated that officials would know something soon regarding payment status.

"I'd probably say I sent an e-mail monthly," said Hellebuyck, who noted that Jelagat was kept from competing through much of 2007 by medical issues, making access to her 2006 Las Vegas winnings more vital.

"It's not my money to be disappointed about. But my client, she's from a third-world country. You've won, so in a way you've earned it. I actually had to help her out a bit," Hellebuyck said.

Race official Tim Kelly, who was in communication with both runners' agents the past several months, elaborated on Burke's assessment.

"In 2005, Devine Sports made a major investment in bringing a world-class marathon to Las Vegas," Kelly said. "In 2006, we suffered a bit of a sophomore slump. But looking forward, with our sponsorship with Zappos.com, we won't make that mistake again."

Burke agreed that the race is now on firmer financial ground, with the aforementioned Zappos.com -- a major online shoe and apparel retailer based in Henderson -- signing on as the title sponsor. Burke said he expects no problems taking care of Sunday's money winners in a more timely fashion.

"I would say that everybody gets paid within 90 days, which is the normal time for a marathon," he said.

Jelagat, who took fourth in last month's Frankfurt (Germany) Marathon, won't defend her title, but Hellebuyck said she expects clients of hers to continue racing here. "I love Las Vegas, I love the event, and I have no hard feelings," she said. "I would like to send athletes back in the future."