TOKYO, Feb. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) and Mary Keitany (KEN) are the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX champions, it was announced today by Tim Hadzima, general manager of the Abbott World Marathon Majors and the six leaders of the world's top marathons, following the Tokyo Marathon 2016, the final race of the Series.

Mary Keitany, who was tied along with Mare Dibaba (ETH) and Helah Kiprop (KEN) with 41 points, was selected as the Series IX women's champion in a vote by the leaders of the six AbbottWMM member races, in accordance with the AbbottWMM tie-breaking procedure (see below for full details).

Kipchoge and Keitany, who will each earn $500,000 (USD), were honored at an awards ceremony to mark the conclusion of the year-long series that featured the AbbottWMM races: the Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York City Marathons, and the IAAF World Championships Marathon.

Also honored today were David Mark, of Chicago, Illinois, and Barbara Fleming-Ovens, of Cranfield, Ireland, who finished the Tokyo Marathon to become AbbottWMM Six Star Finishers.  They represent the almost 600 runners from all over the world who have completed all six of the AbbottWMM marathons, and they were the first to receive the new medals that are now available to all Six Star Finishers.

The final race in Series IX concluded a year of remarkable races and significant developments for the Abbott World Marathon Majors. Series IX marked the first year of Abbott's title sponsorship, which kicked off when the series began at Tokyo Marathon 2015. In addition, this year AbbottWMM debuted the new-style one-year cycle of Qualifying Races; launched unprecedented anti-doping initiatives including a five-year purse payout program and additional testing of the world's top marathoners; and created the new Abbott World Marathon Majors Wheelchair Series.   

"This year we've demonstrated our commitment to championing the sport, supporting the elite runners who prove that marathoners are among the world's greatest athletes, and celebrating the 250,000 runners who every year join us on our iconic courses," said AbbottWMM general manager Tim Hadzima.  "Congratulations to Eliud, Mary, David, Barbara and all our Six Star Finishers, and we look forward to the beginning of Abbott World Marathon Majors Series X and the new Wheelchair Series in Boston in April."

"We are inspired by these amazing athletes – our elite champions, our Six Star Finishers, and all the runners – who show us what is possible through the power of health," said Elaine Leavenworth, senior vice president, chief marketing and external affairs officer of Abbott.  "We are pleased to support the Abbott World Marathon Majors and celebrate all the runners who have worked so hard and achieved so much."

The Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX Champions

Eliud Kipchoge arrived at the top of the AbbottWMM Series IX leaderboard, earning 50 points for his victories at the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon and the 2015 BMW BERLIN Marathon.

Mary Keitany earned her AbbottWMM Series IX championship with a victory at the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon and a second-place finish at the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon.

How the Abbott World Marathon Majors Works

Athletes earn the following points by placing among the top five in qualifying races during the 12-month period:

1st place – 25 points
2nd place – 16 points
3rd place – 9 points
4th place – 4 points
5th place – 1 point

The champions are the male and female athletes who score the most points during the one-year scoring period. Points from a maximum of two races are scored. An athlete must start in at least two races over the cycle to be eligible. If an athlete earns points in more than two events, the athlete's highest two finishes are scored.

The AbbottWMM race directors met as a group immediately after the conclusion of the Tokyo Marathon 2016 and participated in a vote to validate the winners of the AbbottWMM Series IX title.  The unanimous vote for the women's champion focused on the strength of the race fields in which Keitany, Dibaba and Kiprop competed, as determined by the number of total AbbottWMM points earned by their competitors in the respective races.

The following races made up the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX:

February 22, 2015       Tokyo Marathon
April 20, 2015              Boston Marathon
April 26, 2015              Virgin Money London Marathon
August 22, 2015          IAAF World Championships Men's Marathon (Beijing)
August 30, 2015          IAAF World Championships Women's Marathon (Beijing)
September 27, 2015    BMW BERLIN Marathon
October 11, 2015        Bank of America Chicago Marathon
November 1, 2015       TCS New York City Marathon
February 28, 2016       Tokyo Marathon

AbbottWMM Series X, and the new AbbottWMM Wheelchair Series X, begin at the April 2016 Boston Marathon and end upon completion of the April 2017 Boston Marathon.  The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Marathons are also part of Series X.

About Abbott:
At Abbott, we're committed to helping you live your best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 74,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160228/338240 
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160228/338241 
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150928/271488LOGO

SOURCE Abbott World Marathon Majors