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.