FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
World’s Five Premier Marathons Unite to Form
"World Marathon Majors"
First World Marathon Majors Series will commence in April
2006 and culminate in November 2007 with a $1 million prize.
BOSTON and LONDON (January 23, 2006)—The world’s five premier
international marathons—the Boston Marathon, the Flora London Marathon,
the real,- Berlin-Marathon, the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, and the ING
New York City Marathon—have joined forces to collectively present the top
echelon in the sport of marathon running. These five events now present
themselves as the World Marathon Majors® (WMM).
The directors of the five races also have formed and will launch the World
Marathon Majors Series (WMM Series) this spring at the 110th Boston
Marathon on Monday, April 17. The series will culminate at the 2007 ING
New York City Marathon on November 4 with the award of a total $1 million
prize purse split evenly between the top male and female series finishers.
Over the two-year scoring period, the world’s best marathoners will earn
points when they finish among the top five places at the individual WMM
races, the IAAF World Marathon Championships, and the Olympic
Marathons.
"This is one of the most significant changes in the history of our sport,"
said Dave Bedford, race director of the Flora London Marathon. "The World
Marathon Majors Series marks the start of a new era of growth and
excitement for our sport."
"The World Marathon Majors marks the first time in the sport’s history that
the world’s top five races have joined together for the common good and
promotion of the sport by creating a unified global circuit of the sport’s
best and most prestigious 26.2-mile championships," said Guy Morse,
executive director of the Boston Marathon.
The announcement of the WMM Series was made today in joint news
conferences in Boston and London and included the endorsement and backing
of many of the world’s best athletes, including world record-holder Paul
Tergat of Kenya and Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi of the
United States.
"Our races are to our sport what Wimbledon and the Australian, U.S., and
French Opens are to tennis, and what the Masters, U.S., and British Opens
and PGA Champions hip are to golf," said Mary Wittenberg, race director of
the ING New York City Marathon. "Each race has the history, the tradition,
the honor roll of legendary champions, and a special place in the eyes of
all to make them stand apart from the other events."
After the WMM Series commences this spring at Boston and at the Flora
London Marathon on April 23, the competition will continue in the autumn at
the real,- Berlin-Marathon on September 24, the LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon on October 22, and the ING New York City Marathon on
November 5.
Other details of the WMM Series are:
• Men and women are scored separately.
• In addition to the five WMM marathons, the WMM Series also includes
any IAAF World Championships and Olympic Marathons held
during the two-year period. The series events are known as the
Qualifying Races.
•Athletes earn points by placing among the top five at qualifying races: 25
points for a first-place finish, 15 points for second place, 10 points for
third place, five points for fourth place, and one point for fifth place;
• During the two-year scoring period, an athlete must finish at least one
qualifying race in each year of the series. If an athlete runs more than
four qualifying races, only the top four results will be counted.
• In the case of tie, the first tiebreaker is the winner of any
head-to-head competition between the contending athletes in a qualifying
race. The ultimate tiebreaker is by majority vote of the five WMM race
directors.
The WMM Series is designed to further elevate the sport of marathon running
in the public eye. Helping to focus the world’s best marathoners on the
world’s premier marathons will create a platform that is intriguing and
simple to follow.
The scoring system makes all WMM events equal in terms of the athletes’
pursuit of the grand prize jackpot and acknowledges that all marathon
courses are not the same. The scoring system is based on points, rather
than on performance times or strength of competition, to take into account
the unique challenges involved in performing well over a sustained period
of time. The winner of the WMM Series unquestionably will be the best
performer during the competition period, and additional marathons could be
added to a subsequent WMM Series.
Two-year scoring periods will overlap, allowing the WMM to award a grand
prize jackpot on an annual basis following the inaugural presentation in
2007. That is, after the 2006-2007 series, the subsequent series will
include the WMM races during the calendar years 2007 and 2008.
"The creation of this series will generate collective interest and
excitement at alevel that has not existed between our great events in the
past," remarked Carey Pinkowski, executive race director of the LaSalle
Bank Chicago Marathon. "The result of these marathons partnering together
is increased visibility, exposure, and growth for the sport of marathon
running on a national and international scale."
It is the intention of the WWM by seeking sponsorship support to double the
prize money purse to $2 million in future years for a $1 million prize for
both the men's and women's champion. Athletics Management & Services (AMS)
has been exclusively appointed by the WMM to secure a title sponsor.
"In fact, we are the championship events of the sport of marathon running,"
said Mark Milde, race director of the real,- Berlin-Marathon. "Like the
championship events of tennis and golf, we are now positioning ourselves to
work together rather than individually, which will be a venture attractive
to runners and non-runners, athletics enthusiasts, and casual observers of
sport."
For more information:
Boston: Jack Fleming +1 617.236.1652
London: Nicola Okey + 44 207.902.0182
Berlin: Jörg Wenig + 49 30.8909.5250
Chicago: Shawn Platt +1 312.904.7240
New York: Richard Finn +1 212.423.2229
World Marathon Majors Scoring System
• Men and women compete against their own gender.
• The WMM Series consists of each WMM race over overlapping twoyear
periods. The first period is 2006-2007; the second period will
be 2007-2008.
• A $1 million grand-prize jackpot will be awarded at the end of each
scoring period split between men and women.
• Besides the five World Marathon Majors, the IAAF World
Championships Marathon and the Olympic Marathon will also be
used as Qualifying Races for the WMM Series.
• Athletes earn points by placing among the top five at qualifying
races. Points will be allocated as follows:
1st place 25 points
2nd place 15 points
3rd place 10 points
4th place 5 points
5th place 1 point
• In any two-year scoring period, a maximum of four qualifying races
will be scored. If an athlete scores points in more than four
qualifying races, the athlete’s best four races will be scored.
• At least one qualifying race must be in each calendar year of a
scoring period in order for an athlete to be eligible for the jackpot.
• In the event of a tie, the first tiebreaker is the head-to-head
competition between the contending athletes in a qualifying race.
If the athletes remain tied, then the final tiebreaker will be a
majority vote of the five WMM race directors.
World Marathon Majors Series
1st Scoring Period: 2006-2007
2006
April 17, 2006 Boston Marathon
April 23, 2006 Flora London Marathon
September 24, 2006 real,- Berlin-Marathon
October 22, 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
November 5, 2006 ING New York City Marathon
2007
April 16, 2007 Boston Marathon
April 22, 2007 Flora London Marathon
August 25, 2007 IAAF World Championships Men’s Marathon (Osaka)
September 2, 2007 IAAF World Championships Women’s Marathon (Osaka)
September 30, 2007 real,- Berlin-Marathon
October 7, 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
November 4, 2007 ING New York City Marathon
World Marathon Majors & Representatives
Boston Marathon
Guy Morse served as the B.A.A.’s first full-time race director, holding
that position from 1985-2000. As executive director since 2001, Morse has
overseen the Boston Marathon, B.A.A. Half Marathon, and year-round B.A.A.
events. Frank Porter served as president of the B.A.A. from 1994-2000, and
is currently a member of the Board of Governors. First run in 1897, the
Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon. The 110th Boston
Marathon, to be run on April 17, has a limit of 20,000 entrants.
www.bostonmarathon.com
Flora London Marathon
Dave Bedford has been with the Flora London Marathon since 1986 and has
served as race director since 2001. During that time the race has grown
from 18,000 to over 35,000 finishers. Bedford was one of the top distance
runners in the world in the 1970s, running a world record for 10,000m in
1973 (27:30.8). Nick Bitel is chief executive of the Flora London Marathon.
The 2006 Flora London Marathon will be run on April 23.
www.london-marathon.com
real,- Berlin-Marathon
Mark Milde has been the race director of the real,- Berlin-Marathon for two
years. He has held several titles with the race, including elite athlete
coordinator, which he still is. The event now boasts 40,000 entrants, and
has been the scene of four world records in the past eight years: Ronaldo
daCosta (1998), Tegla Loroupe (1999), Naoko Takahashi (2001), and Paul
Tergat (2003). Mark’s father, Horst Milde, is the event’s founder and
former race director. The 2006 real,- Berlin-Marathon will be run on
September 24.
www.berlin-marathon.com
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
Carey Pinkowski has served as executive race director of the LaSalle Bank
Chicago Marathon since 1990. Under his leadership the race has grown from
8,000 to 40,000 runners. Three world records have been set on the Chicago
course during that time: Khalid Khannouchi (1999), Catherine Ndereba
(2001), and Paula Radcliffe (2002). Mark Nystuen is executive vice
president of LaSalle Bank. The 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, to be
held on October 22, has a limit of 40,000 entrants.
www.chicagomarathon.com
ING New York City Marathon
Mary Wittenberg has served as the race director of the ING New York City
Marathon and CEO of the New York Road Runners since 2005. Previously,
Wittenberg served as the associate race director, and executive vice
president and chief operating officer of the NYRR. In addition to the ING
New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners produce more than 70
races annually. Allan Steinfeld is vice chairman of the New York Road
Runners, executive director of the ING New York City Marathon, and the
former technical director and race director of the ING New York City
Marathon. The 2006 ING New York City Marathon will be held on November 5.
www.ingnycmarathon.com
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