FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
World Marathon Majors To Conclude
Inaugural Series With Three Fall Races
Prokopcuka and Cheruiyot Remain Atop Leaderboards
after IAAF World Championships
With the conclusion of last week's IAAF World Track & Field Championships
in Osaka, Japan, three races remain in the inaugural World Marathon Majors
Series: the real,- Berlin Marathon on September 30; The LaSalle Bank
Chicago Marathon on October 7; and the ING New York City Marathon on
November 4.
Jelena Prokopcuka, of Latvia, leads the women's series with 55 points,
followed by Gete Wami, of Ethiopia, and Zhou Chunxiu, of China, both of
whom have 40 points. Chunxiu moved into a tie for second place in the
standings with her runner-up performance at last Sunday's marathon in
Osaka. Other top marathoners who can conceivably tie or win the 2006-2007
women's series are Rita Jeptoo and Catherine Ndereba, both of Kenya, and
both with 35 points, and Berhane Adere, of Ethiopia, with 30 points. With
the conclusion of the IAAF World Track & Field Championships, the fall
World Marathon Majors races are expected to begin announcing their
professional athlete fields, and the head-to-head match-ups which may
decide the Series winner.
Among the men, Robert Cheruiyot, of Kenya, has a seemingly insurmountable
lead. Cheruiyot has won three races during the two year period, and he
heads into the fall with 75 points (35 points ahead of his nearest threat).
For Cheruiyot to be overtaken, one of the other marathoners among the top
seven on the leaderboard likely would have to win two of the remaining fall
marathons. Below Cheruiyot on the 2006-2007 leaderboard are: Martin Lel,
of Kenya, with 40 points; Felix Limo, of Kenya, with 35 points; Stephen
Kiogora, of Kenya, with 25 points; Haile Gebrselassie, of Ethiopia, with 25
points; Marilson Gomes dos Santos, of Brazil, with 25 points; and Luke
Kibet, of Kenya, with 25 points.
Over two year periods, the world's best marathoners compete against each
other in five of the world's best marathons: the Boston Marathon, the Flora
London Marathon, the real,- Berlin-Marathon, The LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon. In addition, the marathons at
the IAAF World Track & Field Championships and Olympic Games count in the
point totals during years when those events are contested. The World
Marathon Majors awards points accordingly: 25 points for first place; 15
points for second place; 10 points for third place; 5 points for fourth
place; and 1 point for fifth place.
The two-year spans of the World Marathon Majors Series overlap, and while
the inaugural series (2006-2007) will conclude this November, the next
series (2007-2008) will be at its midway mark. The directors of the World
Marathon Majors have chosen to have an overlapping series so that World
Marathon Majors Series champions can be designated each year. The
inaugural series champions - the winning male and female - each will be
presented with a $500,000 USD check in New York City at the series
conclusion and they will be recognized as the world's top marathoners
during the period.
Cheruiyot, Lel and Kibet lead the 2007-2008 leader board with 25 points,
while Chunxiu - with her victory at this year's Flora London Marathon and
second place at the World Championships - has 40 points and stands alone
atop the women's series leaderboard.
To view the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 men's and women's World Marathon Majors
leader boards, go to: www.worldmarathonmajors.com
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