Tokyo Marathon Joins World Marathon Majors

 

 

Tokyo Marathon Joins World Marathon Majors 

Tokyo Marathon will be the Sixth Event in the Series, along with
Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City

New York, NY - The World Marathon Majors® (WMM) today announced the addition of the Tokyo Marathon to the World Marathon Majors Series. The seventh Tokyo Marathon, which will be held on February 24, 2013, will be the first race in the 2013 - 2014 World Marathon Majors scoring period. The Tokyo Marathon is the first World Marathon Majors event to be based in Asia.

"Tokyo is honored to join the World Marathon Majors," said Tad Hayano, Tokyo Marathon Foundation Race Director. "As the first marathon from Asia, we will continuously make an effort to expand the brand of the WMM in Asia. Likewise, as the one of the World Marathon Majors, we believe that the Tokyo Marathon can make an even more positive contribution to the world marathon scene by working with our new partners."

Founded on January 23, 2006 by the Boston, Virgin London, BMW Berlin, Bank of America Chicago, and ING New York City marathons, the World Marathon Majors is a race series offering a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female marathoners in the world. In addition to the six other races, the IAAF World Championships and Olympic marathons also serve as scoring events in the years in which they are held. Athletes earn points by placing among the top five in each race during a two-year scoring period. The champions of the WMM will be the man and woman who score the greatest number of points during the two-year scoring period.

In a joint statement from the World Marathon Majors Race Directors, Tom Grilk, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association and Boston Marathon, added, "We at World Marathon Majors are delighted to have Tokyo join our group. The Japanese have a magnificent history and tradition in the marathon, and the Japanese people have long embraced the marathon and distance running in general. They are among the finest fans in the world for our sport."

The inaugural Tokyo Marathon was held on February 18, 2007 and drew 95,044 applicants and 30,870 participants. Kenya's Daniel Njenga (2:09:45) and Japan's Hitomi Niiya (2:31:01) were the race's first champions. Since 2007, the Tokyo Marathon has grown to over 300,000 applicants and nearly 36,000 participants. In addition to serving as the first race of the 2013 - 2014 WMM scoring period, the 2013 Tokyo Marathon will double as the Japanese men's national team trials for the 14th IAAF World Championships Marathon in Moscow. Prior to the establishment of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation in 2007, the city of Tokyo hosted two separate marathon events for elite men and women, dating back to 1980 and 1979, respectively.

Each of the World Marathon Majors races boasts an international elite field for both men and women, has a mass participatory field completing the same course as the elite runners, takes place in a major international market, and is regarded as among the best in the industry.

About the Tokyo Marathon
Organized by the Tokyo Marathon Foundation and established in 2007, the Tokyo Marathon hosts nearly 36,000 participants on a tour of Tokyo's iconic tourist attractions. Through its theme, "The Day We Unite," the Tokyo Marathon unites runners, volunteers, and spectators on race day. Following the 2011 race, the Tokyo Marathon instituted "Tsunagu," a companion charity program for the Tokyo Marathon. Donations go to charitable activities in various fields according to the concept of "Tsunagu," or solidarity. Registration for the 2013 Tokyo Marathon, which closed on August 31, drew over 300,000 applicants.

About the Tokyo Marathon Foundation
Ulala Nagashima - Public Relations Division
Tel: 03-5500-6639
Fax: 03-5500-6678
E-mail: nagashima@tokyo42195.org
Tokyo Marathon Website: www.tokyo42195.org

About World Marathon Majors (WMM)
Established in 2006, the World Marathon Majors is a race series comprised of the Tokyo, Boston, Virgin London, BMW Berlin, Bank of America Chicago, and ING New York City marathons. In the years in which they are run, WMM also includes the IAAF World Championships and Olympic marathons. At the conclusion of a two-year cycle, WMM offers a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female marathoners in the world. The inaugural 2006 - 2007 series launched at the 110th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2006 and concluded on November 4, 2007 at the ING New York City Marathon. The 2013 - 2014 series begins with the Tokyo Marathon on February 24, 2013 and will conclude on November 2, 2014 at the ING New York City Marathon.

• Tokyo: Ulala Nagashima +03 5500-6639
• Boston: Marc Davis + 1 617.778.1633
• London: Nicola Okey + 44 207.902.0182
• Berlin: Marisa Reich + 49 178.457.7065
• Chicago: Jeremy Borling +1 312.992.6614
• New York City: Richard Finn +1 212.423.2229

Boston Marathon 2012 Results: Brutal Heat Blemishes Historic Race

Mother Nature is the biggest, baddest honey badger there is, as anyone who ran (or didn't run) the 2012 Boston Marathon can surely attest.

Clearly, by gracing Beantown with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-to-high 80s, Mother Nature proved that she doesn't give a you-know-what, even with the nation's most prestigious footrace already on the schedule for Patriots' Day.

And the effects of her negligence were far-reaching.

The winner, Kenyan Wesley Korir, turned in the second-slowest winning time since 1985, finishing the race in two hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Last year's winner, fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai, went from setting a world record to dropping out of the race with stomach cramps after 18 miles.

But the effects of the stressful conditions weren't restricted to Olympic hopefuls and top contenders. The original field of nearly 27,000 registered runners was whittled down to just over 22,000 by the time the race began in Hopkinton. Approximately 4,300 participants opted out of the race, with most presumably taking up the Boston Athletic Association on its offer of automatic entry into the 2013 edition.

They can only hope the weather will be a bit brisker next year.

The BAA's medical staff did its best to prepare for the conditions, but still wound up treating more than 2,000 participants—or, about 800-1,200 more than usual—to some degree.

And that's not including the 120 or so people who were taken to hospitals by ambulance during the course of the race.

All things considered, though, the BAA did a solid job of warning participants of the dangers and responding in due course to those who fell ill amidst the sweltering heat.

Next year, though, the folks in Boston may want to appeal to Mother Nature for a friendlier forecast or figure out some other way to mitigate the effects of a spring heat wave, lest the race be overwhelmed with no-shows and sick participants again.