by Larry Eder
The fact remains that Geoffrey Mutai ran the best time ever for the marathon, in any conditions. Recognizing that, and showing supreme class, the John Hancock company is paying Geoffrey Mutai the $50,000 bonus for the World Best time and will continue to do that bonus in the future.
Nice job John Hancock!
Historic
Boston Course
Is Not World Record Eligible
John
Hancock To Continue $50,000 Bonus For World Best Times
BOSTON, MA – In an
effort to follow up immediately on the matter, the B.A.A. has now had the
opportunity to review with the IAAF the performance of Geoffrey Mutai in the
2011 Boston Marathon, in which Mr. Mutai’s time of 2:03:02 was the fastest ever
recorded over the marathon distance. Mr. Mutai’s performance is not eligible to
be recognized as a world record under IAAF standards due to the point to point
nature of the Boston course and the fact that
there is a net loss in elevation over the Boston course that exceeds IAAF limits. IAAF
standards in this regard were established in 1990.
The IAAF
official with whom the matter was reviewed expressed the IAAF’s high regard for
Mr. Mutai’s performance. He also noted more broadly the spectacular nature of
what occurred in the 2011 Boston Marathon, both from the men and in the women’s
Open Division, where the repeated surges and lead changes between Caroline Kilel
and Desiree Davila produced one of the most exciting and competitive finishes in
marathon history.
“The IAAF
has acted very promptly in working with us to achieve full clarity here. We
understand and appreciate the role of the IAAF in maintaining standards that
were established to protect the integrity of the sport,” said B.A.A. Executive
Director Tom Grilk. “We all know that we witnessed one of the great days in
running history at the 2011 Boston Marathon, with all-time fastest performances
in several categories and emotional triumphs by Japanese wheelchair athletes
that surely provided an emotional lift to their countrymen and women who
continue to work to recover from the disaster that struck Japan in March.
We will celebrate all of that for a long time to come.”
John Hancock Financial Services, primary sponsor of
the Boston Marathon, rewarded Geoffrey Mutai with a $50,000 bonus for running a
world’s best time at this year’s race and said the company will meet this
promise in the future as well.
“When you run Boston and you run faster than any man or woman
has ever run a marathon, you truly are in a league of your own,” said Jim
Gallagher, Executive Vice President, John Hancock. “John Hancock recognizes this
and will proudly continue to reward greatness.”
Going
forward, the B.A.A. will engage members of Boston’s scientific and medical
communities to determine whether factors can now be identified that would
support a further discussion as to whether the point to point nature and
elevation drop in the Boston course may be mitigated by other factors that might
permit the Boston course to be ratified for world record
consideration.
Established
in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy
lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the
world’s oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events
and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.
Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston
Marathon has been John Hancock Financial. The
Boston Marathon is part of the World Marathon
Majors along with the Virgin London Marathon, BMW
Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, and the ING New York City Marathon.
