With the first two events of the world marathon majors underway, lets take a look at the leader boards (from
http://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/leader_board.php
)
Men's 2006-07 Leader Board
Place Athlete Country Finishes Earned points Cumulative score
1 Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot Kenya 1st-Boston 2006 25 25
Felix Limo Kenya 1st-London 2006 25 25
2 Benjamin Maiyo Kenya 2nd-Boston 2006 15 15
Martin Lel Kenya 2nd-London 2006 15 15
3 Mebrahtom Keflezighi USA 3rd-Boston 2006 10 10
Hendrick Ramaala S Africa 3rd-London 2006 10 10
4 Brian Sell USA 4th-Boston 2006 5 5
Khalid Khannouchi USA 4th-London 2006 5 5
5 Alan Culpepper USA 5th-Boston 2006 1 1
Stefano Baldini Italy 5th-London 2006 1 1
Women's 2006-07 Leader Board
Place Athlete Country Finishes Earned points Cumulative score
1 Rita Jeptoo Kenya 1st-Boston 2006 25 25
Deena Kastor USA 1st-London 2006 25 25
2 Jelena Prokopcuka Latvia 2nd-Boston 2006 15 15
Lydmila Petrova Russia 2nd-London 2006 15 15
3 Reiko Tosa Japan 3rd-Boston 2006 10 10
Susan Chepkemei Kenya 3rd-London 2006 10 10
4 Bruna Genovese Italy 4th-Boston 2006 5 5
Galina Bogomolova Russia 4th-London 2006 5 5
5 Kiyoko Shimahara Japan 5th-Boston 2006 1 1
Berhane Adere Ethiopia 5th-London 2006 1 1
And a quick check of the leaders by country:
1. Kenya 115
2. US 46
3. Russia 20
4. Latvia 15
5. Japan 11
6. S. Africa 10
7. Italy 6
8. Ethiopia 1
Gotta admit, the US is looking good after 2 events, but we are far from over. To score in four events over two years, they have to hit one of the big fall marathons, then run either Boston or London next year. Fall 2007 should be interesting, with the addition of the World Championships. So, where will today's "Big 4" of men's distance go after this week? I gotta believe Sell will head to Chicago as the Hanson's are hooked up with them. Anyone know who has signed on to NYC or Berlin?
It will be interesting to see where today's leaders strike next, and if they can score again in their next race. Looking forward to seeing who scores some points in the fall who is not currently on the board. Where will Paula make her next attempt?
What do you think is the best strategy for someone like Deena, sitting at the number 1 spot- how many wins do you go for? I think if you are in good shape, you've gotta go hard this fall and get as many points in the bank, then determine if you are going to go hard next spring, or skip it and focus on fall 2007.
Whatever you think the US chances are overall in this thing, you have to love the ability to compare across marathons. I think the "team" component of scoring by country is interesting too, although is not official. Can you imagine the interest that could be generated if you had a tie going into fall '07- looking to see where athletes were going to run, and if they chose to race head-to-head, or go to the course which suits their race strategy best.