Sport | Marathon running |
---|---|
Founded | 2006 |
No. of teams | individual sport |
Official website | www |
The World Marathon Majors (WMM) (known for sponsorship reasons as the Abbott World Marathon Majors) is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on seven major marathon races recognised as the most high-profile on the calendar, the series comprises annual races for the cities of Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
In addition, the series recognises the results of the major global championship marathon held in that year. These races are the biennial World Athletics Championships Marathon, and the quadrennial Olympic Games Marathon. [1]
Each World Marathon Majors series originally spanned two full calendar years; the second year of a series overlapped with the first year of the next. Starting in 2015, each series began with a defined city race and ended with the following race in the same city. So, series IX started in February 2015 at the 2015 Tokyo Marathon and ended there in February 2016 at the 2016 Tokyo Marathon. Series X started at the 2016 Boston Marathon and finished at the 2017 Boston Marathon. Series XI started at the 2017 London Marathon and finished at the 2018 London Marathon.
It began being sponsored by Abbott Laboratories in 2015. [2] On April 26, 2017, Dalian Wanda Group Co., Ltd., one of the leading Chinese private conglomerates, announced a ten-year strategic partnership aimed at the continued growth and development of marathon events worldwide.
Beginning with Series X at the 2016 Boston Marathon, wheelchair competitions were added for men and women.
At the end of each of the first 10 WMM series the leading man and woman each won $500,000, making a total prize of one million U.S. dollars. Beginning with Series XI, the prize structure was revised so that for men and women first place became $250,000, second place $50,000 and third place $25,000. In the wheelchair division the prize money for men and women is $50,000 (first), $25,000 (second) and $10,000 (third).
In November 2024, it was announced that the Sydney Marathon would be added at the seventh race in the World Marathon Majors. The inaugural event in the series will be August 31, 2025. [3]
Athletes who competed in the marathons originally received points for finishing in any of the top five places (1st place: 25 points; 2nd place: 15 points; 3rd place: 10 points; 4th place: 5 points; 5th place: 1 point). Their four highest ranks over the two-year period were counted; if an athlete scored points in more than this number, the athlete's four best races were scored. To be eligible for the jackpot, an athlete had to compete in at least one qualifying race in each calendar year of the series.
In 2015, the scoring was revised (1st place: 25 points; 2nd place: 16 points; 3rd place: 9 points; 4th place: 4 points; 5th place: 1 point). The two highest ranks during the scoring period would be counted, with only the best two if more than that number.
For the first three series if there were equal top scores at the end of the competition the tiebreakers were head-to-head competition and, if necessary, a majority vote of the five WMM race directors. This happened in the 2007–08 women's competition.
Beginning in the 2009–10 season, following best head-to-head record, the following tie-breakers were implemented, in descending order: the person who achieved his or her points in the fewest races, the person who won the most qualifying races during the period, the person with the fastest average time in their scoring races, and a majority vote of the six-race directors. If the final circumstance is necessary, the race directors could award the title jointly.
The following marathons have been part of the series in each year:
The winners by season listed below. [12]
Season | No. | Start event | Final event | Winner | Country | Points | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016–17 | X | 2016 Boston | 2017 Boston | Marcel Hug | Switzerland | |||
2017–18 | XI | 2017 London | 2018 London | Marcel Hug (2) | Switzerland | |||
2018–19 | XII | 2018 Berlin | 2019 Berlin | Daniel Romanchuk | United States | |||
2019–21 | XIII | 2019 Chicago | 2021 New York City | Marcel Hug (3) | Switzerland | |||
2022 | XIV | 2021 Tokyo [h] | 2022 New York City | Marcel Hug (4) | Switzerland | |||
Season | No. | Start event | Final event | Winner | Country | Points | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016–17 | X | 2016 Boston | 2017 Boston | Tatyana McFadden | United States | |||
2017–18 | XI | 2017 London | 2018 London | Manuela Schär | Switzerland | |||
2018–19 | XII | 2018 Berlin | 2019 Berlin | Manuela Schär (2) | Switzerland | |||
2019–21 | XIII | 2019 Chicago | 2021 New York City | Manuela Schär (3) | Switzerland | |||
2022 | XIV | 2021 Tokyo [h] | 2022 New York City | Susannah Scaroni | United States | |||
Six star finishers are marathoners who have completed all 6 of the World Marathon Majors. In 2016 following the Tokyo Marathon a Six Star Finisher Medal was introduced. [26] In July 2018 a "Reach for the Stars" campaign was launched wherein a runner could claim a star for each WMM race completed. The system allows runners to create a profile, search for their ‘stars’ and add them to their page. [27]
Following the WMM Series XI in April 2018, the verified total of Six Star Finishers was 3,786.
The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishers in 2019 and 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race. Along with the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the United States and is one of the World Marathon Majors.
The Tokyo Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event in Tokyo, Japan. It is a World Athletics Platinum Label marathon and one of the seven World Marathon Majors. The latest edition of the race took place on 3 March 2024. It is sponsored by Tokyo Metro.
Edna Ngeringwony Kiplagat is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She was the 2011 and 2013 World Champion in the marathon. She established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and New York City Marathons in 2010. Her personal best for the distance is 2:19:50 hours, set at the London Marathon in 2012. At age 37, Kiplagat won the 2017 Boston Marathon in a time of 2:21:52 hours, and won the marathon silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in London. At age 39, she was second at the 2019 Boston Marathon and fourth in the event at the following World Championships. At age 41, she won the 2021 Boston Marathon, becoming the oldest-ever winner of a World Marathon Major.
Bernard Kiprop Kipyego is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. His personal best for the event is 2:06:22 hours. He has reached the podium at the Amsterdam Marathon, Chicago Marathon, Boston Marathon, Paris Marathon and Tokyo Marathon.
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Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich is a Kenyan professional athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is the former world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23, which he set at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He has run under 2 hours 4 minutes for the marathon on four occasions.
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The 2011 London Marathon was the 31st running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 17 April. The elite men's race was won by Kenya's Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai in a course record time of 2:04:40 hours and the elite women's race was won by Mary Jepkosgei Keitany, also of Kenya, in 2:19:19.
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The 2018 New York City Marathon was a marathon race held in New York City, United States, which took place on November 4, 2018. It was the 48th edition of the New York City Marathon, which is organised by New York Road Runners. The men's race was won by Lelisa Desisa, who held off a late challenge at the finish by Shura Kitata. The women's race was won by Mary Keitany, her fourth win of the event. Both Desisa and Keitany recorded the second fastest times on the course. In the wheelchair races, Daniel Romanchuk (1:36:21) and Switzerland's Manuela Schär (1:50:27) won the men's and women's races, respectively. A total of 52,704 runners finished the race, comprising 30,592 men and 22,112 women.
Shura Kitata Tola is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and half-marathon. He has raced in several World Marathon Majors, including the 2020 London Marathon, where he won the race in a time of 2:05:41, beating Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, and the 2018 London Marathon where he finished in second place behind him. His other best performances include the 2017 Rome Marathon and 2017 Frankfurt Marathon victories and second places at the 2018 and 2022 New York City Marathon.
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The 2020 London Marathon was the 40th running of the annual marathon race in London, United Kingdom, which took place on 4 October 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was postponed from 26 April and only allowed elite participants; the mass participation event was cancelled. The event used a different course from usual, consisting of multiple laps around St James's Park.
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The 2021 Tokyo Marathon was the fifteenth edition of the annual marathon race in Tokyo. The competition was held on Sunday 6 March 2022, having been postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The elite events were won by Kenyans Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei respectively, whilst the wheelchair races were won by Swiss athlete Marcel Hug and Japanese competitor Tsubasa Kina. Around 20,000 people competed in the mass participation event.
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