The events comprising the World Marathon Majors (WMM) confirmed their 2008 schedule today, which includes next August's Olympic Games.
The first WMM event for 2008 will be the Flora London Marathon, slated for Sunday, April 13. The Boston Marathon follows eight days later on Monday, April 21, then the series goes dark until the women's and men's Olympic Marathons in Bejing on consecutive Sundays, August 17 and 24, respectively. The final three events in 2008 will be the real,- Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 28, followed by the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 12, and the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 2.
Athletes participating in the WMM earn points based exclusively on finish position: 25-15-10-5-1. Points are accumulated over a two year period, and the top male and female point-earners receive a cash award of $500,000. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya and Gete Wami of Ethiopia won the inaugural 2006/2007 series and Martil Lel of Kenya and Wami lead the 2007/2008 series with 50 and 55 points, respectively. Complete standings are available at http://www.worldmarathonmajors.com.
With the exception of the World Championships and Olympic Games, the events of the WMM are not just for elite runners. In 2007, 128,780 runners completed the five commercial marathons of the series, including 38,607 at the ING New York City Marathon, which was the largest marathon ever held.
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