Congress stars

Their outstanding achievements over the past year will be recognised at the fourth annual AIMS Best Marathon Runner’ (BMR) Awards reception to be held in the birth place of the Marathon in Athens, Greece on 11 November 2016.

This is the second consecutive year that Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) has been recognised with the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award. He has continued his excellent form from 2015 into 2016, winning two of the biggest marathon events in the last 12 months. In April 2016 he won the London Marathon for the second consecutive year, setting a new course record of 2:03:05. He then followed that up by winning his first ever Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janiero, winning the marathon in a time of 2:08:44.

Jemima Sumgong, also 31 years old, also won the London Marathon, recording a time of 2:22:58 despite falling at 35km and sustaining cuts and bruises. In the Olympic Games Marathon she again ran away from her rivals in the latter stages of the race to win Kenya’s first women’s marathon gold in a time of 2:24:04.

Jemima Sumgong comments “It is wonderful to have my efforts recognised by the people organising the sport at the highest level. It is extra special the fact that I will receive this in the birth place of the marathon Athens.”

AIMS President Paco Borao comments: “Jemima and Eliud are clearly the outstanding performers of our sport in 2016. It will be our great pleasure to recognise them here in such a special location for all marathon runners, where their own rightful place of making history in the modern day is recorded for all time as part of over 2000 years of marathon history in the home of the marathon Athens.