The inaugural AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship race was due to be held as part of the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon. The cancellation of the mass race due to the COVID-19 pandemic means this inaugural event will now take place as part of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday October 3.
All participants who did not withdraw from the event following the postponement of the April race were given the opportunity to take part in 2021 or withdraw and receive a refund. The deadline for this decision to be made by all runners was 18th September 2020.
In addition, runners in qualifying positions at the end of the second edition of the rankings - which ended on 31st December 2020 - will also be given the chance to enter the 2021 World Championships.
In order for us to contact and invite the highest ranked athletes in each age group, they must have created a profile on worldmarathonmajors.com.
A list of the champions following that event will be made available on this page.
2022 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
As the world continues to adapt and shift with the COVID-19 pandemic situation, runners will have three avenues of entry to the 2022 AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships:
1. In-person events
The global growth of the series continues with more than 250 races in the line-up for this qualifying series, covering 80 countries and spanning six continents. You can earn ranking points on a maximum of two qualifying events. Search the full list of qualifying events here.
2. Virtual qualifying events
Some marathons that are part of the third edition of the qualifying series are having to pivot to a virtual event for 2021. Races that provide Abbott World Marathon Majors with full results will give their top age group performers the chance to earn world ranking points in a newly created virtual rankings platform that will sit along-side the other avenues to the World Championships. A proportion of the championship places on offer will be allocated to this channel.
More details on this will be made available in due course.
3. The AbbottWMM Global Marathon
As part of the AbbottWMM Global Run Club, which launched August 2020, we will celebrate the Majors and spring time - which for so many over the years has been an exciting race season for the Majors - with the Abbott World Marathon Majors Global Marathon on 1 and 2 May 2021. As part of this global virtual event, there will be 100 places on offer for the top age group runners who participate. This is a great chance to compete and put yourself in contention for a place at the 2022 World Championships.
