FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RACE RESULTS WEEKLY ANNOUNCES 2007 MARATHONER RANKINGS
Martin Lel and Gete Wami Given #1 Rankings
NEW YORK (December 31) -- Race Results Weekly, the wire service of distance
running, announced today that Ethiopian Gete Wami and Kenyan Martin Lel
were the top-ranked marathon runners of 2007. RRW produced for the third
time an annual top-10 marathoner ranking based on key victories,
head-to-head competition, fast times, consistent performances in multiple
races and, in some cases, heroic efforts.
"Lel was a clear choice for us by winning both London and New York, a feat
no man had ever accomplished" said Editor & Publisher, David Monti.
"However, it was much closer on the women' side between Wami and China's
Zhou Chunxia."
Lel, 29, was simply flawless over the 42.195 km distance in 2007. At the
Flora London Marathon on a warm April day, he bided his time until the
final 300 meters where unleashed a sprint which Abderrahim Goumri, Felix
Limo and Jaouad Gharib simply couldn't match. Then at the ING New York
City Marathon last November, Lel covered every surge the pack threw at him
until he had left all of his rivals, but Goumri, behind. Again, he timed
his sprint to perfection, pulling away from the Moroccan for the second
time this year in the final meters of a marathon.
"He put on marathon running clinics at both London and New York," commented
Monti.
Haile Gebrselassie was given the #2 ranking for his spectacular world
record run in Berlin last September, clocking 2:04:26 and slicing 29
seconds off of Paul Tergat's previous standard which had stood since 2003.
In his other marathon at London, Gebrselassie failed to finish. Goumri got
the #3 ranking for finishing second at both London and New York (he was
beaten only by Lel), while world champion Luke Kibet of Kenya was #4, and
Paris Marathon champion and world championships silver medalist Mubarak
Hassan Shami of Qatar was ranked #5.
WAMI RANKED JUST SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN ZHOU
The 33 year-old Ethiopian ran three marathons in the World Marathon Majors
series this year, winning at Berlin, and finishing second at both London
and New York. She recorded three of the top-8 times in the world this
year, and clinched the first-ever World Marathon Majors series title.
"While it is true that Zhou beat her in London with a very fast time and
won the silver medal at the World Championships, taken as a whole Wami's
record was slightly more impressive," commented Assistant Editor Bob Ramsak
who also publishes the Track Profile News Service. "To run three high
level marathons in one year with a slowest time of 2:23:32 and never
finishing lower than second is amazing."
Zhou, whose 2:20:38 winning time at London was the 2007 world leader, was
ranked second, while Britain's Paula Radcliffe was ranked #3 for her
front-running victory at the ING New York City Marathon. Reigning Olympic
gold medalist Mizuki Noguchi of Japan was ranked #4 for her impressive solo
victory at Tokyo in 2:21:37, the second-fastest time of the year, and
Catherine Ndereba of Kenya was ranked #5 for her dramatic victory at the
IAAF World Championships in very hot and humid conditions.
Also of note was the inclusion of Reiko Tosa of Japan who was given the #9
ranking. Tosa put in a heroic performance under tremendous pressure on the
final day of the IAAF World Championships in Osaka last August, giving
Japan their only medal in the championships.
"It was the only marathon performance of the year which made me cry,"
commented Monti.
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