Abbott World Marathon Majors awards Edna Kiplagat Series VIII Women's title

CHICAGO Oct. 26, 2106 Today Abbott World Marathon Majors named Kenya's Edna Kiplagat as the winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series 2013-2014 (Series VIII).

�"We can now finally say that justice has been served and that Edna Kiplagat has received the recognition she deserves," said AbbottWMM general manager Tim Hadzima.

Kiplagat has been awarded the AbbottWMM title following today's decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to uphold the IAAF appeal and therefore confirm that Rita Jeptoo (Kenya) is banned from competition for four years from Oct. 30, 2014, and all her results from April 17, 2014 are annulled. According to the AbbottWMM code of conduct, Jeptoo will receive a lifetime ban from its six AbbottWMM marathons.

�"We are disappointed that due process took so long but we are delighted that at last we are able to acknowledge Edna Kiplagat," said Hadzima. �"We will continue to work with the IAAF and other organizations to facilitate our extensive additional out-of-competition testing program for marathon runners, and to do all that we can to reach our goal of eradicating doping."

Kiplagat joins Kenya's Wilson Kipsang at the top of the AbbottWMM Series VIII leaderboard. The two athletes amassed the most points based on finishes in a two-year series, which included the 2013 Tokyo, Boston, Virgin London, BMW-BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and New York City Marathons, the 2013 IAAF World Championships, and the 2014 Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW-BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York City Marathons.

Kiplagat, like Kipsang, wins a prize purse of $500,000. A veteran of AbbottWMM races, Kiplagat finished top of the AbbottWMM rankings via a first place finish at the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon, and a gold medal win for the marathon at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow.

�"Every marathon runner dreams of winning this title," Kiplagat said. �"It means so much to me and my family."

An Accomplished Runner and Mother

Kiplagat, who set her personal best of 2:19:50 in the 2012 Virgin London Marathon, is a parent to five children and juggles an extensive training schedule amidst running a household and a working farm that produces a wide variety of animals and produce. She has said her family is her true focus, and has shared in the past that her racing victories can be attributed to the support from her children and husband Gilbert Koech.

AbbottWMM Series X

Professional runners and wheelchair athletes are now competing for AbbottWMM Series X titles. The 2016 Boston Marathon followed by the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon marked the beginning of the one-year Series X, which also includes the Olympic and Paralympic Marathons, the 2016 BMW-BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York City Marathons and Tokyo Marathon 2017. The cycle will conclude at the end of the 2017 Boston Marathon.

About the Abbott World Marathon Majors

The Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW BERLIN, Bank of America Chicago, and TCS New York City Marathons together represent the Abbott World Marathon Majors and serve as Qualifying Races.

In the years in which they are run, the Series also includes the IAAF World Championships and Olympic Marathons, as well as the Paralympic and the IPC Athletics World Championships Marathons.

At the conclusion of each Series cycle, a prize purse is divided equally between the top male and female marathoners in the world, and between the top male and female wheelchair racers in the world, as determined by points earned in Qualifying Races.

The inaugural 2006-2007 WMM Series was launched at the 110th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2006, and concluded at the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4, 2007. The Tokyo Marathon became a Qualifying Race in October 2012, and the 2013-2014 series, the WMM's eighth two-year series, began with the Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 24, 2013, and concluded at the TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 2, 2014.

The first Abbott World Marathon Majors series, titled AbbottWMM Series IX, began at the Tokyo Marathon 2015 and concluded after completion of the Tokyo Marathon 2016. Eliud Kipchoge and Mary Keitany are the AbbottWMM Series IX champions.