Kipchoge crowned World Marathon Majors champion yet again

Two-time Olympics marathon champion who is considered the greatest marathoner of all time (GOAT), Eliud Kipchoge has been named this year’s Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX champion for the fifth time running.

Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase, the world athletics marathon champion won the women’s title, beating Chicago Marathon champion Ruth Chepng’etich with 34 points against the Kenyan’s 25.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world that include Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, TCS London Marathon, BMW Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

These industry leading organizations are now united in their effort to advance the sport, raise awareness of marathon’s elite athletes, and create a global community of marathon runners.

Athletes earn points by placing among the top five in qualifying races during the 12-month period with the winner earning 25 points, runner-up 16 and the third-place finishers earning nine points. Fourth and fifth place get four and one point respectively.

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This year, Kipchoge lowered his own world record by a massive 30 seconds at his fifth Berlin marathon on Sunday 25 September, clocking 2:01:09 to win.

Before Berlin, the 38-year-old, claimed his first-ever Tokyo Marathon title by winning the race in 2:02:40 on March 06, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. He had returned to the country where he won Olympic gold seven months prior and won the race by 33 seconds, running the fastest marathon ever raced in Japan by more than a minute.

Kipchoge beat countryman Evans Chebet to the title despite the two garnering 50 points as the latter won in Boston and New York. Kenyan men marathoners have been exceptional this year, having swept all six World Marathon Majors (WMM) titles in 2022.

In addition to Kipchoge and Chebet’s two major titles each, Amos Kipruto won in London while his training partner Benson Kipruto earned the Chicago title.

How it works

Organisers consider points from the six WMM as well as Olympic or Paralympic Marathons, World Athletics World Championships or World Para Athletics Championships (considered on the years they are held).

During each scoring period, points from a maximum of two Qualifying Races will be counted. An athlete must start in at least two Qualifying Races over the cycle to be eligible for the prize. If an athlete earns points in more than two events, the athlete’s highest two finishes are scored.

The Wheelchair Series follows the same rules, but points from an athlete’s best four races count towards the total, or best five during years with Paralympic Games or World Championship marathons.

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If there’s a tie at the end of a Series, the winner is determined using the following rules (addressed in descending order):

The athlete with the best head-to-head record in Qualifying Races during the Series will be declared the winner. Only the fact that one athlete finished ahead of the other will be considered and not by how many places nor whether those athletes scored points in that head-to-head contest.

The athlete who has won the most Qualifying Races during the period. The athlete who the majority of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors Race Directors determines to be the champion. The Race Directors may decide to award the title jointly.