LELISA DESISA AND RUTH CHEPNGETICH TO BE HONOURED WITH THE 2019 AIMS ‘BEST MARATHON RUNNER’ (BMR) AWARDS

The world running organisation the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) is delighted to announce Lelisa Desisa (Ethiopia) and Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) as the male and female winners of the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Awards for 2019.

The AIMS Athletes’ Nomination Committee has decided that for this year (1 October 2018 to 6 October 2019) Lelisa Desisa and Ruth Chepngetich were the outstanding candidates for the Male/Female Best Marathon Runner Awards 2019 based upon their performances.

Lelisa Desisa (29) has had a very impressive year. On 4 November 2018 he won the TCS New York City Marathon in a time of 2:05:59, his third win in a World Marathon Major, having previously won the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2015.

On 5 October 2019, Lelisa became the World Champion in the Marathon by running 2:10:40 at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Ruth Chepngetich (25) won the Marathon World Title at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar in a time of 2:32:43.

Ruth Chepngetich – Photo:Matthew Quine/IAAF

During the 2018-19 season she also added wins at the Istanbul Marathon, Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon, Seiryu Half Marathon & the Media Maraton de Bogota.

Both athletes secured their World Titles under the most testing of conditions in Qatar, with temperatures in excess of 30C and humidity around 70% despite both races starting at midnight.

The achievements of the two athletes will receive global recognition during the seventh annual AIMS ‘Best Marathon Runner’ Awards Gala in Athens, Greece on the night of Friday 8 November 2019.

About the AIMS ‘Best Marathon Runner’ Awards Gala

The purpose of the BMR Award Gala is to:

I.          Announce and honour the best male and female Marathon runners of the year through the AIMS BEST MARATHON RUNNER (BMR) Award.

II.         Recognise and honour exceptional Marathon figureheads and personalities for their contribution to the development of the Marathon movement.

III.        Publicise and promote the best practice and initiatives of AIMS members (460+ race organisers) through the establishment of special environmental and social awards.

IV.        Enhance the role, programs and services of AIMS.

The event will be staged in Athens, Greece on Friday 8 November 2019 and is co-organised with the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), ‘Athens Marathon. The Authentic.’ and the Region of Attica, held under the kind sponsorship of the ‘Greek National Tourism Organisation’ and ‘Athens International Airport’.

Previous Male Recipients of the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award
2013 – Wilson Kipsang (Kenya)
2014 – Dennis Kimetto (Kenya)
2015 – Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)
2016 – Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)
2017 – Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)
2018 – Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)

Previous Female Recipients of the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award
2013 – Edna Kiplagat (Kenya)
2014 – Florence Kiplagat (Kenya)
2015 – Mare Dibaba (Ethiopia)
2016 – Jemima Sumgong (Kenya)
2017 – Mary Keitany (Kenya)
2018 – Gladys Cherono (Kenya)