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Mar-4-2008
World Marathon Majors Set to Resume at London
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
The World Marathon Majors will resume action at the Flora London Marathon on Sunday, April 13, with more valuable points on the line for the top-5 finishers, all of whom would love to bank the $500,000 series prize which will be paid out after the 2007/2008 series concludes in November.
Martin Lel of Kenya, who won both the Flora London and ING New York City Marathons last year, is at the top of the men's leader board with 50 points.
Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco, who finished second to Lel at the same events last year, is tied for second with 2006/2007 series champion, Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot if Kenya, with 30 points. World champion Luke Kibet of Kenya, 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon champion Patrick Ivuti of Kenya, and world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia are all tied for fourth with 20 points.
Gete Wami of Ethiopia, the 2006/2007 series winner, sits on top of the women's leader board with 55 points scored in three races. China's Zhou Chunxiu, last year's London champion and the world championships silver medalist, is in second with 40 points, while defending Boston Marathon champion Lydia Grigoryeva of Russia is in third with 30 points.
WMM series points are collected for top-five finishes with 25 points for first, 15 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth and 1 for fifth. Cheruiyot and Wami won the inaugural series with 80 points each. Athletes will be scoring points for both the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 series this year.
After London, the series will continue at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21, and will resume at the Beijing Olympic Games with the women's marathon on August 17 and the men's on August 24. The series moves to Berlin (Sept. 28), Chicago (Oct. 12) and New York (Nov. 2) in the fall where it will conclude for the 2007/2008 series. A banquet will be held in New York after the ING New York City Marathon to crown the winners.
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