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Bumper
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Can't decide it this is good for a sport that can't even get a race on
ESPN 2 or there goes the neighborhood!
> 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."
ESPN 2 or there goes the neighborhood!
> 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."
