Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM), which consists of Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW Berlin, Bank of America Chicago and TCS New York City marathons, started in 2006. In creating the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM), the organizers recognized an opportunity to advance the sport, raise awareness of its athletes and increase the level of interest in elite racing among running enthusiasts.
In 2013, Tokyo joined as a sixth race the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM).
The AWMM Series is a Grand Slam of marathon running. In addition to the above six races, the Series also includes IAAF World Championships Marathon and the Olympic Marathon as its Qualifying Races. The champions of the AWMM Series will be the man and woman who score the greatest number of points from the above Qualifying Races during the two-year scoring period.
Athletes earn points by placing among the top five in Qualifying Races (1st: 25 pts.; 2nd: 15 pts.; 3rd: 10 pts.; 4th: 5 pts.; 5th: 1 pt.) during the two-year period. The $1 million prize purse will be split equally between top male and female point earners at the conclusion of each scoring period, providing each champion with $500,000. The $1 million prize will be awarded annually, meaning that each two-year series will overlap.
To have completed each of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) races is not only a special accomplishment for elite runners, but for runners of all abilities from around the world. We are proud to honor the runners who have accomplished this impressive feat. Individuals who since the formation of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) in 2006 have completed the all five original races (Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City) and Tokyo (starting in 2013), can purchase a personalized Six Star Finisher Certificate with a listing of their finish times from each race, signed by the race directors.