Gete Wami and Robert Cheruiyot

NEW YORK CITY - The final event of the first World Marathon Majors Series concluded in dramatic fashion today, when Gete Wami, of Ethiopia, completed a spectacular autumn double by winning the real,- Berlin Marathon on 30 September and placing runner-up behind Paula Radcliffe, of Great Britain, in today's ING New York City Marathon. Conventional thinking suggested that racing and placing in two of the world's major marathons within 35 days is an undertaking of daunting proportions, but the title of World Marathon Majors champion proved to be the overriding and motivating factor for the three-time Olympic medallist Wami.

With her 15 points and runner-up finish, Wami (2:23:32) secured her place in marathon history by becoming the first World Marathon Majors champion. Wami wound up with 80 points, beating Jelena Prokopcuka by 15 points. Prokopchuka, the two-time defending ING New York City Marathon champion, was third in Sunday's 38th Running of the ING New York City Marathon with a time of 2:26:13.

�"I'm so happy to be the first World Marathon Majors winner," said the 32-year old Wami. �"I came to New York to win the jackpot, and I did it. The race felt good and I'm happy."

Running in her first marathon in more than two years, Radcliffe returned to her previous form prior to the birth of her first child in January 2007. The Englishwoman employed a relentless pace from the beginning and imposed a ruthless and extended finishing kick, finishing in 2:23:09. Radcliffe, the world record holder at the distance, is undefeated in every marathon she has finished.

Nearly two years have passed since organisers of the Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City marathons announced the formation of the World Marathon Majors (WMM), and 11 events, including the IAAF World Championships, have been run since the WMM Series was launched at the 2006 Boston Marathon. Both champions will be presented with their share of the $1 million (USD) jackpot at a special luncheon on November 5, with each awarded a check for $500,000 (USD).

A win in New York would have clinched the title for either Wami or Prokopchuka, while the men's title had already been secured by Kenya's Robert K. Cheruiyot. Two Boston Marathon victories in 2006 and 2007 and his 2006 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon title gave Cheruiyot an insurmountable lead with still six months remaining in the first Series, but his fourth place at the '07 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon gave Cheruiyot 80 points. Both World Marathon Majors champions scored the same number of points over the series.

The World Marathon Majors Series scores as follows: 25 points for first place, 15 points for second place, 10 points for third place, five points for fourth place, and one point for fifth place. A runner's best four races over the two years count towards scoring.

The 2007 Flora London Marathon came down to a sprint finish between eventual champion Martin Lel and Abderrahim Goumri, MAR, who placed second. Similarly, Lel, of Kenya, put 12 seconds between himself and the Morroccan in the final mile to win the men's race at the ING New York City Marathon. Lel now has four individual titles at World Marathon Majors events to his credit (London: 2005, 2007; New York: 2003, 2007) won Sunday's race in 2:09:04.