The New York Times reported (subscription required) earlier this month that a number of elite runners have missed major races in the United States due to visa problems and have lost opportunities for prizes in excess of $100,000. The Times noted that Algerian runner Rachid Ziar missed the New York Marathon in 2002 because of security clearance delays.

According to the Times, elite runners only compete in two or three marathons a year and the failure to make a race like the NY Marathon can have a devastating effect on a runner’s annual income since the top American marathons pay prize money often multiple times more than races abroad. The loss of top global competitors also affects the prestige of US races which tout themselves as the best in the world.

Visa concerns have also affected the Detroit Marathon which stages part of its course in Windsor, Ontario. Marathon organizers noted that foreign runners are interviewed ahead of time by immigration officials. According to the Times, “Spotters and timing chips attached to the runners’ shoes kept track of
the competitors’ whereabouts on the course. Anyone who jumped into the race unofficially was subject to arrest.”

Security clearances aren’t the only problem. The Times interviewed Derek Froude, the agent of leading Russian runner Galina Aleksandrova who was denied a visa to compete in a series of US summer road races. According to Foude, “They refused to believe she wasn’t coming to the U.S. to find a husband.”

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