[clari.sports.top] Bile, Ivan to run for riches

clarinews@clarinet.com (MIKE BARNES, UPI Sports Writer) (01/19/90)

	LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- In quest of breaking the indoor mile record --
not to mention winning the $100,000 that goes with it -- Abdi Bile of
Somalia and Paula Ivan of Romania have come from afar to run in Friday
night's Sunkist Invitational.
	Bile, ranked No. 1 in the 1,500 meters last year, wasn't interested
in the trip to the Sports Arena until he heard about the big payoff. Now
the 1987 world champion is enthused about running against American mile
record holder Steve Scott and Jeff Atkinson.
	``I was going to take a little time off, but I moved up my training
schedule to try to run faster this early in the season,'' said Bile, who
is now planning a full indoor campaign.
	Ivan signed last October to run the event, but Romanian authorities
canceled her travel permit two months later following the defection of
countrywoman Nadia Comaneci.
	However, the overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu gave her
another chance to compete. Now she gets to keep her entire appearance
fee of several thousand dollars -- plus another possible $100,000 --
instead of surrendering her winnings to the Romanian Sports Federation.
	``We'll keep all the money now,'' said Ivan, referring to herself
and her coach, former runner Maricica Puica. ``We haven't gotten a dime
of the money we won the last two years (estimated at more than
$200,000).''
	Bile and Ivan's targets in the 31st annual meet are 3 minutes 49.79
seconds by Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan and 4:18.86 by Romania's Doina
Melinte.
	Ivan, the gold medalist in the 1,500 meters at Seoul, owns the
world outdoor mile mark of 4:15.61. Bile ran a personal-best 3:30.55 in
the 1,500 last year, the equivalent of a 3:57.50 mile.
	The $100,000 prizes are insured by SCA Promotions of Dallas. The
Sunkist Growers are paying $12,000 to insure the women's prize and
$7,000 to insure the men's.
	Dangling big money with hopes of attracting big-name athletes is
the idea of promoter Al Franken. Last summer, he engineered the $500,000
offer to anyone breaking Bob Beamon's long-jump record at the Jack in
the Box Invitational.
	No one came close, but the potential payoff drew attention to the
meet -- and that thrills the athletes.
	``We need to have more innovative concepts in track and field in
the United States,'' said PattiSue Plumer, who will face Ivan. ``We have
a society that seems to thrive on high dollars, to get excited about a
lot of money.
	``Look at what's happened with the Skins Game in golf. It's a
pretty boring concept, yet just because of the high numbers involved,
people pay attention.''
	Among those also scheduled to compete are Greg Foster and Tonie
Campbell in the 50-meter hurdles; Larry Myricks in the long jump; Mike
Tully, Tim Bright and France's Thierry Vigneron in the pole vault; David
Patrick in the 880, and American record-holder Brian Abshire in the
3,000.
	Valerie Brisco, who had surgery Wednesday to repair a torn tendon,
and Sandra Farmer-Patrick, who feels she is out of shape, have pulled
out of the 440.