Running into a New Year of World Rankings and Races

December 16, 2020

AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings moves to calendar year and adapts to offer worldwide virtual opportunities

• Third edition moves to calendar year schedule – starts January 01, 2021
• Places for 2022 World Championships now available through virtual qualifying events and AbbottWMM Global Marathon.
• Additional qualification options for all runners across the calendar, wherever they might be.

 The third edition of the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings will move to a calendar year schedule beginning January 01, 2021 with runners chasing a place at the 2022 World Championships, the venue and date of which will be announced in the first half of the new year.

As the world continues to adapt and shift with the COVID-19 pandemic situation, runners will have three avenues of entry to the 2022 world championships:

1. In-person events

The global growth of the series continues with more than 250races 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. Click HERE for a full list of qualifying events.*

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.

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. As part of this global virtual event, there will be a number of 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. Event date and registration details will be shared in the coming weeks.

Tim Hadzima, Executive Director of the Abbott World Marathon Majors said: “I continue to be inspired and impressed every day by the adaptability of the race organizers and the resilience of the global community of marathon runners.

“We have set out a process for the upcoming AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships to allow runners the best access possible in order to qualify from wherever they might be in the world. By offering additional places through our own global marathon and through our qualifying events that go virtual, we are excited that our age group world rankings and world championships can continue to represent the amazing breadth and depth of talent of our global marathon participants. We are very much looking forward to getting the 2021 season of racing started.”

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Additional Notes:
Qualifying for 2021 World Championships

The second edition of qualifying ends December 31, 2020 and the top scoring runners will be in contention for a place at the 2021 AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships which is part of the Virgin Money London Marathon on October 03, 2021. They willcompete alongside qualified runners from the first series and the allocation of places will begin in January, following the same process as the inaugural series (outlined HERE).

Runners aged 40 and above, who are not yet part of the world’s largest marathon ranking system, can head to www.abbottwmm.com, create their profile and start claiming their results. A place on the start line of a world championship awaits.

How it works
Participants in an in-person AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Ranking qualifying race earn points according to their age, time and gender, aligned with the following age groups for men and women: 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+.

For more information on the third edition of the world rankings and how you can be part of the action, visit www.abbottwmm.com/agwr/how-it-works/

 * = Full list of AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group Qualifying Events is subject to change due to new/revised COVID 19 restrictions and/or other changes made by the individual race organizers

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 For media inquiries, please contact:

Lorna Campbell
Head of Communications, Abbott World Marathon Majors
Lorna.Campbell@wmmajors.com

ABOUT ABBOTT WORLD MARATHON MAJORS

The Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) is a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world – Tokyo Marathon, B.A.A. Boston Marathon, Virgin Money London Marathon, BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon.

Encompassing an annual series for elite runners and elite wheelchair athletes, AbbottWMM also applauds the achievements and passion of everyday champions from around the world. The AbbottWMM Six Star System is an online results hub that celebrates every runner who has completed from one to six of the races in the series and encourages them to ‘Reach for the Stars’.

The AbbottWMM launched the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings in 2018 and the first AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship race is set to take place on 03 October, 2021 (postponed due to COVID-19) as part of the Virgin Money London Marathon.

The AbbottWMM Global Run Club launched in August 2020 and aims to bring together the global community of marathon runners on a virtual platform. It kicked off with a series of autumn challenges to run alongside the virtual offerings of the Majors.

For more information, visit www.Abbottwmm.com

ABOUT ABBOTT
Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 107,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on LinkedInat www.linkedin.com/company/abbott-/, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews.

ABOUT WANDA SPORTS GROUP
Wanda Sports Group is a leading global sports events, media and marketing platform with a mission to unite people in sports and enable athletes and fans to live their passions and dreams. Through its businesses, Infront and the Wanda Sports China, Wanda Sports Group has significant intellectual property rights, long-term relationships and broad execution capabilities, enabling it to deliver inspiring sports event experiences, creating access to engaging content and building inclusive communities. Wanda Sports Group offers a comprehensive array of events, marketing and media services through its three primary segments: Spectator Sports, Digital, Production, Sports Solutions (DPSS) and Mass Participation. Wanda Sport Group’s full-service platform creates value for its partners and clients as well as other stakeholders in the sports ecosystem, from rights owners, to brands and advertisers, and to fans and athletes.

Headquartered in China, Wanda Sports Group has more than 48 offices in 16 countries with over 1,000 employees around the world.