Final test at London before Daegu

Asafa Powell (JAM), World Leading 100m (9.78) and David Rudisha (KEN), World record holder of 800m (1:41.01) are among the elite field of line ups at the Aviva London Grand Prix, the 12th out of 14 stops of the Samsung Diamond League at Crystal Palace today and tomorrow, the last meet before the IAAF World Championship at Daegu, South Korea commencing 27 August.

2012 Event Calendar of some major international marathons

2012 (CR = Course Record)
week 01 - 07 Jan - *Xiamen International Marathon, China - CR 2:08:07 - 2011
week 03 - 22 Jan - Tainan Ancient Capital Marathon, Taiwan
week 04 - 27 Jan - Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon - CR 2:04:53 - 2008
week 05 - 29 Jan - Khon Kaen International Marathon, Thailand CR 2:16:44 - 2011

week 06 - 05 Feb - *Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon CR 2:14:57 - 2009
week 06 - 05 Feb - 2012 Mizuno Kaohsiung International Marathon, Taiwan
week 07 - 12 Feb - Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon CR 2:16:10 2010
week 08 - 26 Feb - Tokyo Marathon CR 2:07:23 - 2008


week 09 - 04 Mar - Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon, Japan CR 2:06:13 - 2011
week 10 - 11 Mar - Kyoto Marathon, Japan
week 10 - 11 Mar - Nagoya Women's Marathon , Japan
week 11 - 18 Mar - Honda LA Marathon, Los Angeles CR 2:06:35 - 2011
week 11 - 18 Mar - Rome Marathon CR 2:07:17 - 2009
week 11 - 18 Mar - Seoul International Marathon CR 2:06:49 - 2010
week 12 - 25 Mar - Zheng-Kai International Marathon, China CR 2:13:20 2007

week 14 - 08 Apr - Daegu International Marathon, S. Korea
week 15 - 15 Apr - ABN AMRO Marathon Rotterdam CR 2:04:27 - 2009
week 15 - 15 Apr - Marathon de Paris CR 2:05:47 - 2009
week 15 - 15 Apr - Vienna City Marathon CR 2:07:38 - 2008
week 15 - 16 Apr - BAA Boston Marathon CR 2:03:02 - 2011
week 15 - 22 Apr - BII-Maybank Bali Marathon 2012 (inaugural)
week 16 - 22 Apr - Virgin London Marathon CR 2:04:40 - 2011
week 17 - 29 Apr - Haspa Marathon Hamburg, Germany CR 2:06:52 - 2006
week 17 - 29 Apr - METRO Group Marathon Düsseldorf, Germany CR 2:08:32

week 17 - 01 May - Great Wall of China Marathon, China
week 18 - 06 May - *Borneo International Marathon, Sabah CR 2:25:00 - 2008
week 18 - 06 May - Vancouver Marathon, Canada
week 18 - 06 May - Toronto Marathon, Canada
week 19 - 13 May - Volkswagen Prague Marathon CR - 2:05:39 - 2010
week 20 - 19 May - The Great Wall Marathon, China
week 21 - 26 May - *Sundown Marathon 2012, Singapore
week 21 - 27 May - Ottawa Marathon, Canada
week 21 - 29 May - Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon, Nepal

week 22 - 02 Jun - Stockholm Marathon
week 22 - 03 Jun - Christchurch Airport Marathon, New Zealand
week 23 - 10 Jun - *Laguna Phuket International Marathon, Thailand
week 25 - 23 Jun - *Sundown Ultra Marathon 2012, Singapore
week 25 - 24 Jun - *Standard Chartered KL Marathon CR 2:16:42 - 2010
week 26 -30 Jun - Genghis Khan Grassland Extreme Marathon, Inner Mongolia, 42-21-10km

week 26 - 01 July - *Gold Coast Airport Marathon CR 2:10:01 - 2011
week 28 - 15 July - Pattaya Marathon, Thailand
week 30 - 29 July - The San Francisco Marathon CR 2:23:38 - 2010

week 30 - 01 Aug - Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset (42km and 100km)
week 33 - 12 Aug - London 2012 Olympics CR 2:06:32 - 2008
week 35 - 26 Aug - City To Surf, Perth, Western Australia
week 35 - 26 Aug - 2012 Hakkaido Marathon, Japan

week 37 - 16 Sept - Blackmores Sydney Running Festival
week 38 - 23 Sept - Bangkok Airways Samui Marathon, Thailand
week 39 - 30 Sept - 39th BMW Berlin Marathon CR - 2:03:38 (WR) - 2011

week 40 - 07 Oct - Bank of America Chicago Marathon CR 2:05:37 2011
week 40 - 14 Oct - Bank Of Melbourne Marathon CR 2:11:04 2010
week 41 - 14 Oct - Marathon Eindhoven, Holland CR 2:05:48 2011
week 41 - 13 Oct -Real Kathmandu Marathon, Nepal
week 42 - 21 Oct - 37th TCS Amsterdam Marathon CR 2:05:44 - 2010
week 41 - 14 Oct - Beijing International Marathon CR 2:06:55 - 2005
week 43 - 28 Oct - BMW Frankfurt Marathon CR 2:03:42 - 2011
week 43 - 28 Oct - Marine Corp Marathon, USA
week 43 - 28 Oct - adidas Auckland Marathon, New Zealand

week 44 - 03 Nov - Taroko Gorge Marathon, Taiwan
week 44 - 04 Nov - ING New York City Marathon CR 2:05:06 2011
week 45 - 11 Nov - Hangzhou International Marathon, China
week 45 - 11 Nov - Athens Classic Marathon
week 46 - 18 Nov - Penang Bridge International Marathon CR 2:21:57 - 2011
week 46 - 18 Nov - Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon CR 2:16:10 - 2010
week 46 - 18 Nov - 2012 Guangzhou Marathon
week 47 - 25 Nov - Osaka Marathon 2012
week 47 - 25 Nov - 1st Annual Mount Fuji Marathon, Japan

week 49 - 02 Dec - Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (an IAAF Gold Label Road Race)
week 49 - 02 Dec - Shanghai International Marathon
week 49 - 02 Dec -  Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon
week 49 - 02 Dec - Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship CR 2:05:18 - 2009
week 50 - 09 Dec - Honolulu Marathon 2012
week 51 - 16 Dec - Fubon Taipei Marathon CR 2:10:24 - 2011
week 52 - 23 Dec - Chiang Mai Marathon


World Marathon Majors

Rotterdam leads the World's Fastest Marathon Courses based on finishing-time averages

Ranking of World's fastest Marathon Courses based on averages of top 10 finishing times as of Boston Marathon 2011 April 18
Source : ABN AMRO Marathon Rotterdam

1) Rotterdam --- 2:05:06.6
2) Berlin --------- 2:05:09.6
3) London ------- 2:05:21.5
4) Boston -------- 2:05:36.4
5) Chicago ------- 2:06:02.5
6) Amsterdam - 2:06:25.3
7) Paris ----------- 2:06:28.6
8) Fukuoka ----- 2:06:47.5
9) Frankfurt ---- 2:06:53.5
10) Dubai -------- 2:07:04.5

Ranking of World's Fastest Marathon Course Records

Boston
Berlin
Fukuoka
Amsterdam
London
Ranking of World's Fastest Marathon Course Records as of Boston Marathon 2011 April 18:

1) Boston ----------- 2:03:02 - Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) 18 Apr 2011
2) Berlin ------------ 2:03:59 (WR) - Gebrselassie (ETH) 28 Sept 2008
3) Rotterdam ----- 2:04:27 - James Kwambai (KEN) 5 Apr 2009
4) London ---------- 2:04:40- Emmanuel Mutai (KEN) 17 Apr 2011
5) Dubai ------------ 2:04:53 - Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 18 Jan 2008
6) Frankfurt ------ 2:04:57 - Wilson Kipsang (KEN) 31 Oct 2010
7) Fukuoka ------- 2:05:18 - Tsegay Kebede (ETH) 6 Dec 2009
8) Prague ---------- 2:05:39 - Eliud Kiptanui (KEN) 9 May 2010
9) Chicago --------- 2:05:41 - Sammy Wanjiru (KEN) 11 Oct 2009
10) Amsterdam - 2:05:44 - Getu Feleke (ETH) 17 Oct 2010

Ranking of World's Largest Marathons in 2010

No. 1 - New York
No. 2 - London
No. 3 - Chicago
No. 4 - Berlin
No. 5 - Paris


No. 6 - Tokyo
No. 7 - Boston
No. 8 - La Angeles
No. 9 - Marine Corps
No. 10 - Honolulu


As compiled by Running USA for the year 2010 based on the number of finishers:

1 - ING New York City Marathon - 44,977 (largest all time)
2 - Virgin London Marathon - 36,632
3 - BOA Chicago Marathon - 36,088
4 - real,-Berlin Marathon - 34,002
5 - Marathon de Paris - 30,976
6 - Tokyo Marathon - 30,170
7 - BAA Boston Marathon - 22,672
8 - Honda LA Marathon - 22,580
9 - Marine Corps Marathon, USA - 21,944
10 - Honolulu Marathon - 20,180

Ranking of World's Fastest Marathon Runners (Female)

No. 1 - Paula Radcliffe
No. 2 - Catherine N'dereba
No. 3 - Mizuki Noguchi
4. - Irina Mikitenko
No. 5 - Mary Keitany


As of Boston Marathon 2011 April 18

1) Paula Radcliffe (GBR) - 2:15:25 London 13 April 2003 (World Record)
2) Catherine N'dereba (KEN) - 2:18:47 Chicago 7 October 2001
3) Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) - 2:19:12 Berlin 25 September 2005
4) Irina Mikitenko (GER) - 2:19:19 Berlin 28 September 2008
5) Mary Keitany (KEN) - 2:19:19 London 17 April 2011
6) Dena Kastor (USA) - 2:19:36 London 23 April 2006
7) Sun Ying Jie (孙英杰) (CHN) - 2:19:39 Beijing 19 October 2003
8) Yoko Shibui (JPN) - 2:19:41 Berlin 26 September 2004
9) Naoko Takahashi (JPN) - 2:19:46 Berlin 30 September 2001
10) Zhou Chun Xiu (周春秀) (CHN) - 2:19:51 Seoul 12 March 2006



[Whereas the Top 10 results (finishing times) as of 2011 Boston Marathon are:

1) 2:15:25 - Paula Radcliffe (GBR) London 2003
2) 2:17:18 - Paula Radcliffe (GBR) Chicago 2002
3) 2:17:42 - Paula Radcliffe (GBR) London 2005
4) 2:18:47 - Catherine N'dereba (KEN) Chicago 2001
5) 2:18:56 - Paula Radcliffe (GBR) London 2002
6) 2:19:12 - Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) Berlin 2005
7) 2:19:19 - Irina Mikitenko (GER) Berlin 2008
7) 2:19:19 - Mary Keitany (KEN) London 2011
9) 2:19:26 - Catherine N'dereba (KEN) Chicago
10) 2:19:36 - Deena Kastor (USA) London 2006]

Ranking of World's Fastest Marathon Runners (Male)

No.1 - Geoffrey Mutai
No. 2 - Moses Mosop


No. 3 - Haile Gebrselassie
No. 4 - Duncan Kibet
No. 5 - James Kwambai



As of Boston Marathon 2011 April 18

1) Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) - 2:03:02 Boston 18 April 2011 (not ratified by IAAF)
2) Moses Mosop (KEN) - 2:03:06 Boston 2011 (2nd) (not ratified by IAAF)
3) Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) - 2:03:59 Berlin 28 Sept 2008 (World Record)
4) Duncan Kipkemboi Kibet (KEN) - 2:04:27 Rotterdam 5 April 2009
4) James Kipsang Kwambai (KEN) - 2:04:27 Rotterdam (2nd) 5 April 2009
6) Emmanuel Mutai (KEN) - 2:04:40 London 17 April 2011
7) Patrick Makau (KEN) - 2:04:48 Rotterdam 11 April 2010
8) Gebre Gebremariam (ETH) - 2:04:53 Boston 2011 (3rd) (not ratified IAAF)
9) Paul Tergat (KEN) - 2:04:55 Berlin 28 September 2003
10) Sammy Korir (KEN) - 2:04:56 Berlin (2nd placing) 28 September 2003



[Whereas Top 10 results (finishing times) of all time as of Boston Marathon 2011 are:
1) 2:03:02 - Geoffrey Mutai 2011 Boston
2) 2:03:06 - Moses Mosop 2011 Boston
3) 2:03:59 - Haile Gebrselassie 2008 Berlin
4) 2:04:26 -Haile Gebrselassie 2007 Berlin
5) 2:04:27 - Duncan Kibet 2009 Rotterdam
5) 2:04:27 - James Kwambai 2009 Rotterdam
7) 2:04:40 - Emmanuel Mutai (KEN) 2011 London
8) 2:04:48 - Patrick Makau (KEN) 2010 Rotterdam
9) 2:04:53 - Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) 2008 Dubai
9) 2:04:53 - Gebre Gebremariam (ETH) 2011 Boston]