The Demo Site

(October 27) Fantasy sports are big business – by some estimates Americans spend nearly $1 billion a year on fantasy games.

Now a fantasy type contest is coming to the NYC Marathon – for free. Toyota is sponsoring a “Pick The Winners” contest. All you need to do is log onto www.pickthechampions.com and pick the winners of the men’s and women’s races.

Everyone with the correct predictions will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a 2010 Toyota Prius. Other prize winners will receive: One of five (5) pairs of ASICS GEL-Kayano® 16 running shoes and One of five (5) TIMEX IRONMAN® watches.

You know you’ll be watching the results closely anyway – why not put a little skin in the game? This is the second year the contest offered and it’s always one of my favorites.

On a side note – as a full-service site I attempted to find the odds for the 2009 Marathon to better help you handicap the winners. It does not appear as if you can REALLY wager on the marathon. In years past, a few online sports books (usually in Britain for some reason) actually placed odds on the runners and took NYC Marathon wagers. It looks like that business has gone bust – after an online search today, I could not find a single sportsbook taking marathon wagers. So you’ll have to settle for your chance to win a Prius.