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Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto are in prime position to each claim Ksh6.4 million from the Marathon Majors as they are top of the leaderboard with three races remaining.
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto lead the race for the Ksh6.4 million World Marathon Majors prize following their third-place finishes at the Paris Olympics.
The World Marathon Majors prize is reserved for runners who perform exemplarily in the six major marathons; Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York where they accumulate points and whoever has more at the end of the season is awarded the prize.
In an Olympics year like 2024, the marathon is also added to the roaster and after four races, both Obiri and Kipruto are at the top of the leaderboard with 34 points each.
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08:30 - 13.08.2024
Hellen Obiri recounts how she overcame two tragic falls to win Olympic marathon bronze medal
Hellen Obiri has narrated how she overcame two tragic falls during the Olympic marathon to win a bronze medal in the race.
Obiri had accumulated the maximum 25 awarded to each winner of the major marathons after her victory in Boston in April while Kipruto also had a similar tally from his win in Tokyo in March.
They added nine points from their third place finishes at the Olympics which gives them a slight edge over their rivals although the race is still very tight with Berlin, Chicago and New York marathons still to be run.
Obiri is followed closely by Ethiopian Tigist Assefa, who finished second at the Olympics as well as London. Assefa has 32 points while Olympics champion Sifan Hassan is third on 29 points followed by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir and Ethiopian Asefa Kebede who have 25 points each.
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10:00 - 12.08.2024
Paris 2024 Olympics: Benson Kipruto on why tackling the gruelling Olympic marathon course was not difficult
Benson Kipruto has explained why he did not find the marathon course at the Paris Olympics hard to conquer.
In the men’s category, Kipruto leads with 34 points, nine more than Ethiopian Sisay Lemma, the Boston Marathon champion, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, also from Ethiopia, and Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso, the London Marathon winner.
A prize of $50,000 (Ksh6,450,000) will be awarded to the athlete that finishes top of the leaderboard after the final major marathon of the year, New York, with $25,000 (Ksh3,225,000) going to the second placed runner as third, fourth and fifth attract $12,500 (Ksh1,612,500), $7,500 (Ksh967,500) and $5,000 (Ksh645,000) respectively.
Obiri will be hoping that lightning does not strike twice after accumulating 50 points last year for a joint lead with Hassan, but missing out on the top prize following a vote that swung the pendulum in the Dutchwoman’s favour, due to her impressive times.
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20:00 - 13.08.2024
Why Eliud Kipchoge will still be at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 following dissapointment in Paris
Kipchoge has confirmed he will be involved in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics following his unprecedented setback in Paris last Saturday that forced him to withdraw.
To do that, Obiri might need to sign up for the New York Marathon again to try and defend her title, which will likely fend off the challenge of Assefa, while Kipruto, who finished third in 2023, will also need to win another of the remaining races to guarantee his place at the top.
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