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| ABB World Marathon Majors | |
|---|---|
| Name | ABB World Marathon Majors |
| Sport | Marathon running |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Organizer | Abbott Laboratories; World Marathon Majors, LLC |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Countries | United States; United Kingdom; Japan; Germany; Italy |
ABB World Marathon Majors is a championship series that groups the most prestigious long-distance road races in the world into a unified competition for elite marathoners. It aggregates results from selected city marathons to award a season title and prize purse, influencing athlete scheduling, sponsorship, and national team selection. The series is recognized across the professional running circuit and interacts with events, federations, and media outlets globally.
The series links flagship marathons such as Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, Tokyo Marathon, and others into an annual points race that crowns male and female champions. It connects organizations including World Athletics, Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, and national bodies like USA Track & Field and Japan Association of Athletics Federations. Sponsors and partners such as Abbott Laboratories, broadcasters like BBC Sport and ESPN, and event hosts including New York Road Runners and London Marathon Events shape the commercial and logistical framework. High-profile athletes, agents, and teams — for example those associated with Nike, Inc., Adidas, Puma and management firms including Global Sports Communication and Hicham El Guerrouj Management — use the series to plan competitive calendars.
Current and former member events have included the Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon, New York City Marathon, and Tokyo Marathon; other additions and rotations have involved the Rotterdam Marathon, Yokohama Marathon, and continental events. Host cities such as Boston, Massachusetts, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, and Tokyo provide iconic courses that intersect with landmarks like Boston Common, Tower Bridge, Brandenburg Gate, Millennium Park, Central Park, and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Race directors coordinate with municipal authorities including city mayors and agencies like Transport for London and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. International competitors arrive via hubs such as Heathrow Airport, Frankfurt Airport, O'Hare International Airport, and Narita International Airport.
The series employs a points system to rank athletes across scoring races, with points allocations influencing season standings and bonus distributions. Prize money and bonuses are set by organizers and sponsors, often aligning with winnings from major marathons (e.g., purse structures used by London Marathon and Berlin Marathon). The championship payout has attracted elite competitors from training groups like NN Running Team, Nike Oregon Project (former), and Hoka One One squads, while national federations such as Athletics Kenya and Ethiopia Athletics Federation monitor results for selections. Broadcasting deals with outlets such as NBC Sports and Sky Sports affect commercial value, and corporate partners — for example Abbott Laboratories — provide title sponsorship and corporate hospitality.
The concept was launched to create a linked championship among marquee city marathons, modeled after series in other sports and inspired by historical competitions like the IAAF World Marathon Cup and city marathon rivalries involving athletes such as Haile Gebrselassie, Paula Radcliffe, Khalid Khannouchi, and Tsegaye Kebede. Governance evolved through negotiations among event organizers, media rights holders, and athletic federations. Over time the series adjusted membership, scoring rules, and season timing in response to global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical shifts caused by international travel patterns and course certification by World Athletics.
Performances within member races include world and course records set by athletes such as Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Brigid Kosgei, Paula Radcliffe, Dennis Kimetto, and Belayneh Dinsamo at respective city events like Berlin Marathon and London Marathon. Iconic races produced tactical and record-breaking runs involving rivals such as Mo Farah, Mary Keitany, Galen Rupp, Desiree Linden, and Sifan Hassan in championship contexts. The series has highlighted performances across eras linking figures such as Abebe Bikila and Emil Zátopek through modern marathon development, while statistical archives maintained by organizations like Association of Road Racing Statisticians document results.
The championship structure reshaped athlete scheduling, with elite competitors targeting specific majors to maximize points and sponsorship exposure. Training groups and coaches from institutions like Oregon Project (historic), NN Running Team, and university programs at University of Oregon and Stanford University adjusted periodization to peak for majors. Sponsorships from companies such as Nike, Inc., Adidas, and ASICS increasingly tie athlete obligations to major appearances, influencing contractual terms and appearance fees negotiated by agents and management firms. Media coverage by outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Runner's World elevated marathon narratives and commercial value.
Critiques have focused on commercialization, athlete welfare, and equity issues, with disputes involving organizers, federations, and athlete unions like World Players Association and event-specific controversies tied to course changes, doping scandals involving figures such as Liliya Shobukhova and Abderrahime Bouramdane-adjacent cases, and pandemic-era cancellation policies. Debates over appearance fees, prize distribution, and accessibility raised concerns among community organizations and smaller marathons represented by Association of International Marathons and Distance Races. Legal and ethical scrutiny has involved national federations, anti-doping agencies like World Anti-Doping Agency, and courts in jurisdictions such as United States District Court in litigation over contracts and liability.
Category:Marathon competitions