Berhane Adere moves into tie for second place in World Marathon Majors Series

Chicago, October 7, 2007—The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 7, constituted the ninth and penultimate event in the inaugural, 2006-7 World Marathon Majors series. Both the men's and women's races unfolded in dramatic fashion, with Patrick Ivuti (KEN) taking the men's crown by just 0.05 seconds from Jaouad Gharib (MAR), and Berhane Adere (ETH) producing a devastating finish to deny Adriana Pirtea (ROM).

Defending men's champion Robert Cheruiyot (KEN) placed fourth here, though that will not impact his position at the top of the 2006-7 WMM standings. With 75 points coming into this race, plus an additional five here, Cheruiyot is in an unassailable position and is assured of claiming the $500,000 prize once the series concludes in New York on November 4.

The minor placings, in contrast, can still see plenty of action. Haile Gebreselassie moved into second position with his world-record win in Berlin on September 30, though the LaSalle Bank Chicago and ING New York City Marathon races will prompt still more shuffling. Ivuti's 25 points in Chicago move him into equal fifth position, where he is joined by four others, including Chicago third-place finisher Daniel Njenga (KEN). Gharib, second here (15 points) moves into 10th in the WMM rankings, having already placed fourth in the Flora London Marathon in April. In contrast to Cheruiyot's standing at the top of the table, down below there is still much to be resolved.

The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon also had a major impact on the women's World Marathon Majors standings. Berhane Adere's stunning victory boosted her into second position alongside Jelena Prokopcuka (LAT). The latter will be defending her title in New York; however, even a third-place finish in New York will be significant, giving her enough points to share the WMM lead with real,- Berlin Marathon winner Gete Wami (ETH). As with the men, much can still change depending on who arrives in New York and how that race unfolds.

The top five men and women finishers at the Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, World Championships and Olympic Marathons will earn points in a two-year series to crown the World Marathon Majors champion. Notably, points scored in World Marathon Majors events in 2007 also count to the second cycle of the series. The inaugural WMM series spans 2006-7; the second series covers 2007-8, meaning that the $1 million prize purse will be awarded at the conclusion of every year. The point breakdown is: first place, 25 points; second place, 15 points; third place, 10 points; fourth place, five points; and fifth place, one point.

The five WMM points that Cheruiyot earned in Chicago have allowed him to move into the lead in the men's 2007-8 standings, while Adere moves into equal third.