With the London Olympic Games having come to a close and the Fall/Autumn marathon season about to begin, the 2011-2012 World Marathon Majors Series men’s and women’s titles remain very much up in the air. Seven athletes are still in contention in 2011-2012 — four men and three women – so the Series is headed for another exciting conclusion. Athletes will have three chances to score points before the champions are crowned on November 4 in New York City:
The current World Marathon Majors 2011/2012 leader is the fastest runner in history, Geoffrey Mutai (KEN/50 points). He will not only battle for the World Record time of 2:03:38 hrs at the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, but also for the WMM crown. Mutai is leading the ranking by 10 points, while Wesley Korir (KEN), Emmanuel Mutai (KEN), last year’s WMM Champion, Abel Kirui (KEN) and Moses Mosop (KEN) all have 40 points each in total. Wesley Korir will be running at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, while Moses Mosop competes in ING New York City Marathon. As Berlin takes place on September 30, we will know by then if we have to take a closer look at those two races and athletes later in the year. If Geoffrey Mutai wins in Berlin, his WMM title 2011/2012 is safe. If he is only runner-up, Korir and Mosop would have the chance to tie with a victory at either race, but would lose nevertheless the head-to-head-battle. If Geoffrey is only third, chances are up again for the other two Kenyans. Emmanuel Mutai ran the London Olympics, placing 17th and is not scheduled to run a fall marathon. However, the man who won the bronze medal at that race, Wilson Kipsang ,has 35 points and has been announced as a starter at New York City so a win there would give him 60 points and a potential WMM championship if all of the previous runners falter. The fall remains thrilling and it is still all about Geoffrey Mutai and his performance in Berlin.
The women’s race is down to three contenders. Mary Keitany (KEN) is in a 15 points lead but not racing anymore this fall, Edna Kiplagat (KEN/50 points) and Sharon Cherop (KEN/45 points) will fight for the World Marathon Majors title, and $500.000, as they will compete in the ING New York City Marathon. It should be noted that Liliya Shobukhova (RUS) will be going for her fourth victory in a row at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and while a win there would give her the same number of points as Keitany (65), the two-time London champion would prevail based on a better head-to-head record. (1st vs 2nd, London 2011 and 4th vs a did not finish, London Olympics 2012).
It will be exciting women’s race both in Chicago and New York.
The 2011/2012 Women’s leaderboard:
1. Mary Keitany (KEN) 65 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
1st London 2011 02:19:19 25
3rd New York 2011 02:23:38 10
4th Olympics 2012 02:23:56 5
1st London 2012 02:18:37 25
2. Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 50 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
3rd London 2011 02:20:46 10
1st IAAF Championships 2011 02:28:43 25
2nd London 2012 02:19:50 15
3. Sharon Cherop (KEN) 45 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
3rd Boston 2011 02:22:42 10
3rd IAAF Championships 2011 02:29:14 10
1st Boston 2012 02:31:50 25
4. Liliya Shobukhova (RUS) 40 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
2nd London 2011 02:20:15 15
1st Chicago 2011 02:18:20 25
The 2011/2012 Men’s leaderboard:
1. Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) 50 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
1st Boston 2011 02:03:02 25
1st New York 2011 02:05:06 25
2. Wesley Korir (KEN) 40 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
2nd Chicago 2011 02:06:15 15
1st Boston 2012 02:12:40 25
2. Emmanuel Mutai (KEN) 40 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
1st London 2011 02:04:40 25
2nd New York 2011 02:06:28 15
2. Abel Kirui (KEN) 40 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
1st IAAF Championships 2011 02:07:38 25
2nd Olympics 2012 02:08:27 15
2. Moses Mosop (KEN) 40 pts.
Finish Race Year Time Points Earned
2nd Boston 2011 02:03:06 15
1st Chicago 2011 02:05:37 25
WMM series points earned in 2012 will also count toward the 2012-13 series championship. Athletes are awarded points for a top-5 finish, with 25 points for 1st, 15 for 2nd, 10 for 3rd, 5 for 4th and 1 for 5th. A maximum of four events can be counted in a two-year period.