World’s Top Marathoners Set Sights on Olympic Glory and WMM Points – Beijing Olympic Games are the next stop for WMM leaders

When the world's top marathon runners take to the streets of Beijing later this month at the 2008 Olympic Games they will be competing for more than gold, silver and bronze. For the first time since the launch of the World Marathon Majors Series in 2006, the Olympic Games will be counted in the scoring.

The World Marathon Majors Series consists of the Boston Marathon, Flora London Marathon, real,-Berlin-Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and ING New York City Marathon. The IAAF World Championships Marathon and Olympic Games Marathon are also included in the scoring on the years in which they are contested. Scoring takes place over a two-year period, with points awarded for a top 5 finish.

The women's 2007-08 leaderboard remains tightly packed, and with as many as six of the top nine women expected to race in Beijing, the Olympic Games could play a deciding role in the Series. Defending WMM champion Gete Wami holds the lead with 65 points, however, she has already registered four scoring races in 2007-08 (a maximum of an athlete's four best scores are counted in the final standings), and will only be able to improve upon her total with a gold or silver medal. Should she falter, hometown favorite Chunxiu Zhou of China, second with 40 points, could gain ground.

Three men remain in contention for the 2007-08 WMM Series title, and each will be racing in Beijing. Martin Lel (75 points) currently leads 2006-07 WMM Series champ Robert Cheruiyot (55 points) and Abderrahim Goumri (40 points). A gold medal for Lel would clinch the 2007-08 WMM crown – and the accompanying $500,000 prize – with a perfect score of 100 points. Should Lel fall short and Cheruiyot or Goumri medal, then the WMM Series title could come down to one of the fall events.

The women's Olympic Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, August 17, while the men's marathon will be run on Sunday, August 24, the final day of the Games. Following the Olympic Games, the real,-Berlin-Marathon will be held on September 28, Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 12 and ING New York City Marathon on November 2. The 2007-08 WMM Series champions will be crowned at a luncheon in New York City on November 3.

Complete 2007-08 and 2008-09 WMM Series leaderboards and more can be found at: WorldMarathonMajors.com