24 November 2017, 10am
*Eliud Kipchoge and Mary Keitany have been voted by AIMS members as the best male and female marathon runners of the year* (from October 2016-September 2017). The ceremony took place at the birthplace of the Marathon, Athens, in the evening of 10 November 2017 at the fifth annual AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Gala.
Eliud Kipchoge was unfortunately unable to attend the Gala to collect what was his award, which he won for the third consecutive year. This year he won the BMW Berlin Marathon in a world-leading time of 2:03:32. In May, Eliud he had taken part in an ‘assisted’ time trial on the Monza Formula 1 racetrack in which he recorded a time of 2:00:25.
It was the fifth time Mary Keitany had been presented with an award by AIMS, equalling the number received by Paula Radcliffe. She was presented with the AIMS World Record award only one week earlier month in recognition of her women’s-only Marathon world record of 2:17:01 set in London on 23 April.
AIMS President Paco Borao said: “Eliud and Mary have truly set the standard in 2017. I am delighted to see their accomplishments recognised on behalf of our 435 members and sponsors in the home of the marathon in Athens, Greece.”
Rosa Mota received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gala in recognition of her long career in distance running including victories in the 1988 Olympic Games, the 1987 and 1991 World Championships and the 1982, 1986 and 1990 European Championships.
Rosa first came to international attention in 1982 at the European Championships where she won the first official international championship marathon for women, staged on the classic course from Marathon to Athens, Greece.
In addition to the Olympic gold won in Seoul, South Korea she also won an Olympic bronze and many marathons around the world including Rotterdam, Chicago (twice), Tokyo, Boston (three times), Osaka and London.
AIMS President Paco Borao said: “We are very happy to welcome Rosa to Athens, the birthplace of the Marathon. Her achievements have been an inspiration to women and girls around the world for many years.”
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon took the AIMS Green Award for their commitment to environmentally friendly practices. For the 2016 event, the entire carbon footprint was measured and offset to win climate neutral certification. 331 tons of CO2 was offset by supporting three local South African charity projects – Wonderbag, Reliance Compost and Basa Magogo. The 2017 race achieved zero waste to land-fill.
Janet Welham, Race Director of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon said; “Our aim is to be a global leader in sustainability [and set] an example of how to achieve zero waste to landfill and measure one’s carbon footprint, how to reduce it and how to become a climate neutral event. We would like to thank AIMS for recognising our efforts with this award.”
The Maratón de las Flores Medellín won the AIMS Social Award in recognition of their support for social causes. In 2017, the race organisers supported a landmine charity, a race organised by a breast cancer charity and Pasos de Felicidad, a movement of young runners raising money for disadvantaged communities.
Gustavo Orozco Posada, Race Director of the Maratón de las Flores Medellín said: “We feel very strongly about our social initiatives and we are delighted to receive the award.”
The 2017 AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Awards were co-organised with the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), ‘Athens Marathon. The Authentic.’ and the Region of Attica, held under the kind sponsorship of the ‘Greek National Tourism Organisation’ and ‘Athens International Airport’.